


The politicians husband

by Lubylu1989



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 18:37:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2035761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lubylu1989/pseuds/Lubylu1989
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto Uzumaki, Social worker and community volunteer. Nagato Gakure, politician and husband of Naruto. Sasuke Uchiha,Co-CEO of Sharingan corporation and financial back of Nagato's campaign for mayor. Seeing Naruto unhappy in his newly abusive marriage Sasuke begins to pursue the blonde in hopes of a relationship. Will Naruto stay with his husband or leave him for the charming Uchiha. <br/>A/N. Nagato is not related to Naruto in this, i know the two names together can be a bit confusing but Nagato's background fit's the role of how ive written the politician character. Sorry for the horrible summary i find these so hard to write!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Naruto stood at the corner of the extravagant room, his eyes wandering over the crowd in an uneasy manor. He tried to kill time by taking in the room’s detail, it was beyond comprehension to him the wealth it portrayed and made him feel even more uncomfortable. He didn’t fit in at places like these. Naruto was a hard working citizen, even though he didn’t have to be. The kind of money thrown into the event he was attending just made him feel sick. Trust fund babies, CEO’s, lawyers and politician’s, the kind of people Naruto despised. He always thought they had so much money they had no idea what to do with it but he could think of a few ideas.

Naruto scanned the crowd again, looking for his husband. He wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. Naruto, the ex-street kid turned social worker married to a rich politician, the very kind of person he despised. He didn’t know why his husband even bothered dragging him to these events, he knew Naruto struggled to mix with the upper class crowd. A waiter passed him and asked if he wanted something to eat, Naruto decline. Flash looking finger food didn’t entice him in the slightest. Naruto gave a weak smile to his husband who waved him over to where he was enthusiastically. If he was honest with himself he hated how the man treated him as a prize to be shown off or at other times like a charity case.

“Itachi, Sasuke, I’d like you to meet my husband, Naruto” he put a fake smile on his face as his husband wrapped his arm around his tuxedo clad waist. He gave a curt nod to the two men. If Naruto wasn’t so deflated about being paraded around like a piece of meat he probably would have spent more time taking in the two breath taking men in front of him. Each with pitch black tresses’ of hair, chiselled high cheek bones and soul piercing onyx eyes that would have immediately stopped Naruto in is tracks, but tonight he just didn’t care to notice.

“You never told me you we’re married Nagato” the older sibling, who Naruto assumed was Itachi stated. The man held out his hand and Naruto shook it quickly. Nagato let out a soft laugh, pulling the smaller blonde closer to him. Naruto could feel the younger sibling’s eyes on him and he gave him a quizzical look. It wasn’t uncommon for people to stare at him, he had grown use to it over the years since it wasn’t exactly normal to have whisker like scars on a person’s cheeks. The look Sasuke was giving him though was as if the man was watching something that interested him. Naruto blushed which caused the man to give him a slight smirk.

“Naruto’s never been one for these kind of events. He spends most of his spare time helping out at youth shelters” It would seem to most people that Nagato was proud of his husband being so generous but Naruto knew otherwise. The man hated him spending time in the lower class communities, always raving at him that if he spent any more time around unsavoury people he would eventually become one himself. Naruto had to remind him on many occasions of his childhood roots.

“How charitable” Itachi smiled. Naruto found himself smiling back. The man, although reserved had a strange warmth to him and seemed genuinely interested in Naruto’s volunteer work. “How long have you been volunteering for?”

“Since I was old enough to” Nagato squeeze his waste slightly and Naruto knew it was a warning. “It’s always nice to give back to the community…”

“It must be a stark contrast to a place like this” Sasuke inquired, waving his hand around to indicate the room they were in.

“If you mean a room filled with people throwing money down the drain that could be spent in better places then yes…it is” Sasuke raised his glass to his lips, his eyes holding a slight twinkle in them that Naruto couldn’t quite place. Nagato coughed, indicating his displeasure with Naruto’s answer. He should have kept the snide comment to himself but he couldn’t help it. It frustrated him to see people throwing money down the drain when there were starving children on the streets.

“Quite the brash one my Naruto is” Nagato uneasily smiled.

“No, it’s quite alright. These events do take up money that could be used elsewhere” Itachi winked at Naruto, easing his nerves. If Nagato wanted Naruto to converse with these two men it meant they we’re important, if he blew if for his husband he hated to think the temper Nagato would have when they arrived home.

“Itachi and Sasuke are funding my upcoming campaign for city mayor” it all clicked for Naruto. These two men was his husband’s way into the top position.

“Tell me Naruto, where would you like to see the money spent?” Naruto looked up to Nagato who looked strained but he nodded for him to answer. Sasuke was watching him closely again.

“Education on the prevention of family violence, better funded sex education programmes in schools, more money poured into youth support facilities and more funding for apprenticeship programs…I could ramble off a whole list if you really wanted me to but those are the one’s I’m more focused on at the moment” he didn’t care if Nagato was angry at him. Sasuke had asked and he had given him permission to speak about it so he didn’t see a point in holding back.

“Those are some very interesting idea’s you have Mr?” Naruto unwrapped Nagato’s arm from his waist, the man’s grip was becoming painful.

“Uzumaki. Wishful thinking on my part, the corporation’s that hold the sway to push those actions will never do it. Keep the nation dumb and they won’t cause a problem right?” Naruto scowled deeply. He hated how the world worked. The working man tricked into thinking they had any power at all when it was really the rich deciding everything for their own benefits.

“Naruto!” his husband scolded, his face red with embarrassment. Naruto shrugged, he was sick of being amongst those responsible for the suffering of others.

“I’m very sorry for my husband’s rudeness” Nagato quickly apologised. Naruto let out a snort, he did tell his husband right from the start it was a bad idea bringing him.

“Its fine, it’s actually refreshing hearing someone speak so passionately about the welfare of others. Don’t you agree Sasuke?” Naruto wondered what Sasuke would say, now finding himself equally intrigued. The two men had surprised him. Usually when Naruto mentioned anything along the lines of what he had said, people would look down at him in distain.

“He has some valid points, maybe it’s something we should look into…” Naruto felt frozen on the spot as Sasuke’s eyes bore into his cerulean blue ones. It was almost like he was trying to entice him to say more, to see how far he would push it. “Nagato, you should bring Naruto to Sharingan corp at some point. I would be _ver_ y _interested_ to discuss his ideas further”

“That sounds like a great idea. As you said Mr Uzumaki, it is the big corporations that control these things” Naruto felt his blush crawl back up to his cheeks. He began thinking the two brothers we’re laughing at him in some way.

“I’m leaving Nagato, I’ll see you at home. Itachi, Sasuke, it was lovely meeting you. Enjoy the rest of your evening” He spun on his heel, quickly making his way out of the lavish mansion. Naruto had never felt so humiliated in his life. He had honestly thought the two men were interested in what he had to say but no, they were just making fun of him and his ideals. He shoved his hands into his pant pockets, his head hung low as he angrily kicked the gravel path under his feet. How dare they make fun of him because he wanted to make a difference. What was it about people with money thinking they were better than everyone else!

Naruto wanted to scream in frustration. This is why he hated coming to these stupid things with Nagato. It made him feel small and worthless, that his efforts meant absolutely nothing and that no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t change a damn thing. And that Sasuke! Looking at him like he was some sort of play thing! He had gotten his hopes up that someone had finally listened to him just to dash them a split second later.

Naruto sighed. He had no clue how he was going to get home. Nagato had driven them here and he was pretty sure his husband was too pissed off at him right now to even give him a lift back. Naruto began to think about his marriage. When Naruto had first met Nagato he was an up and coming politician. One with a head full of dreams that coincided with Naruto’s own ideas. The two had clicked immediately, entering into heated discussion about how they could change things in Konoha. After a while the two began dating and eventually married. Naruto had started to wonder though why they even got married now, questioning whether or not Nagato asked him purely for political purposes.

It made Naruto sad. This charming man who was once outspoken about changing the world one child at a time was now embarrassed about his younger self’s ideals. Embarrassed that he was married to Naruto, who worked as a social worker and in his spare time volunteered at the youth centre. It was one of the reasons why Nagato had convinced Naruto to keep Uzumaki as his last name, not wanting anyone in the lower districts to connect Naruto to him. He said it was to protect Naruto, that there were some people who would want to hurt him for being married to a politician. Naruto stopped and looked up at the clear sky, the stars shining brightly down on him. How did things end up this way?

……………………………….

Sasuke watched Naruto leave, his eyes trained on the man’s every movement. To say that the blonde vixen had caught his eye would be an understatement. The second the youngest Uchiha had set his eyes on him he pictured the man in numerous positions under him. He wasn’t expecting the man to be so challenging though, being the husband of a politician he expected a compliant, housewife type of man. But no, the bright eyed blonde had pushed the boundaries and it became clear he was a rare type of human being. Sasuke had never met anyone like him in his life. The way he was so brash and filled with passion made Sasuke’s heart beat in his chest and he knew right then he had to steal him away from Nagato.

“I’m sorry about that, he’s quite spirited” The deep red haired, potential mayor cringed. Obviously embarrassed by Naruto’s attitude. It annoyed Sasuke that Naruto’s so called husband treated Naruto as if he was a burden. If he was with him Sasuke would be proud to have such an outspoken and strong willed partner.

“Please, don’t apologise. It was nice to meet someone with so much conviction” Sasuke knew his brother couldn’t stand the man in front of them either. They we’re Uchiha’s though, they knew when to back a winning horse and Nagato was the clear favourite for Mayor.

“That would be due to his street days, he’s a bit rough around the edges but I assure you by the time I start complaining ill have them ruffled out” Sasuke wanted to growl at the man. There wasn’t anything wrong with Naruto, in fact he was probably the most decent person that had been at event. It also got under his skin that Nagato was talking about Naruto as some kind of wild animal that needed to be tamed and broken.

“Maybe it is you that is rough around the edges” Sasuke spat out. Itachi gave him a knowing smile while Nagato looked shocked at Sasuke’s reply.

“Excuse me?” Nagato glared down at Sasuke, trying to intimidate him which caused Sasuke to scoff. He was an Uchiha, Co-CEO of the Uchiha legacy, Sharingan Corporation. He had the power to make or break the purple eyed politician in a second. If he did that though he would reduce his chances of seeing the captivating blonde again.

“We should be going, people to greet and food to be eaten. We will see you next week to discuss your campaign budget” Itachi pulled on the back of Sasuke’s tuxedo jacket lightly. Sasuke nodded and followed his older brother, the man they left behind leaving a strong distaste in his mouth. “You’re interested in his husband aren’t you?”

“Whatever gave you that impression oniisan?” Sasuke growled out. Itachi chuckled, handing him a champagne flute.

“It’s not like you to lose your temper so quickly, especially around potential clients, Otouto” Sasuke frowned as he realised his mistake. He had let his Uchiha mask down, letting his emotions betray him.

“I just hated how he treated him that’s all. Naruto had some good idea’s it was frustrating to see them being shut down. It was almost like he had to ask permission to even voice his opinion” Sasuke watched as people began to gravitate towards them. Fake smiles of politeness surrounding them. “Do you mind if I take my leave Oniisan? I’m not in the mood for pleasantries” Itachi gave him a nod, indicating his agreement.

“Sleep well, Otouto” Sasuke quickly made his way to the exit, his head held high but ignoring anyone’s attempts to engage him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nagato watching him and sent him a challenging smirk. Nagato raised the glass in his hand to him in acknowledgement. It seemed the game’s had begun.


	2. Decision

By the time Naruto made it home it was well past midnight. His feet ached from the long walk, his shoulders stiff from the cold and his fingers numb. It had been a long walk home, one Naruto never wanted to repeat again. He swore under his breath, cursing his husband. The bastard hadn’t even bothered to answer Naruto’s numerous phone calls. His knuckles clenched painfully around the door handle, groaning with frozen stiffness. Surely Nagato was worried about him. Naruto scoffed at the idea, he probably enjoyed knowing Naruto had walked the two hour long journey home; some sick kind of punishment for embarrassing him.

The door creaked open and the cold blonde sighed at the warmth that hit him; receding his shivers to small tremors. Naruto marched his way quickly into the lounge, settling himself in front of the still lit fire. He held his hand’s up to let the fire bring warmth back into them and fight of the frosty bite they had obtained. Never in Naruto’s life had he felt as relieved as he did now, it was almost as if he could feel himself melting. He quickly stripped off his coat jacket to expose more skin to the flame and sat crossed legged in front of it. Naruto decided right then that he wasn’t a winter person and he would be ecstatic for the bitter season to disappear.

“I was starting to wonder where you got to” Naruto flinched, Nagato’s tone held no concern for him whatsoever and he almost began to feel a chill again.

“Really? I did tell you…or did you not bother to check your phone at all?” he spat out, not moving from his spot in front of the burning wood. Nagato walked up behind him and sat down. Wrapping a blanket around Naruto and began to rub his shoulders.

“It died at the party. I’m sorry Naruto, if I knew you had to walk all that way I would have come to get you” Naruto leant back into his husband out of habit. Then man’s arm’s engulfed him and between him, the blanket and the fire he felt his temperature rise quickly.

“How did you know I walked if your phone was dead?” Naruto retorted. He didn’t believe Nagato in the slightest. “I could have caught a taxi”

“You had no money on you and considering the time plus how cold you look it’s not hard to figure out” Naruto felt the red head place a kiss into the back of his head. “I’m sorry love”

“Whatever Nagato…” Naruto leant away from the embrace and stood up. He kept the blanket wrapped around him, not wanting to let any of the new found warmth escape. “I’m going to sleep in the spare room tonight”

“Don’t be this way Naruto” His fist’s clenched at Nagato’s accusing tone. He hated how the man always tried to make him feel like he was in the wrong. “If you didn’t ramble on to the Uchiha brother’s you would never had been in that position”

“Are you kidding me? I told you I didn’t want to go to that stupid party in the first place Nagato! If you hadn’t of dragged me to that money pit of an event I would be in bed by now!” Naruto’s blue eyes were ablaze. He was already irritable from being tired, he didn’t need his husband poking holes in him.

“I’m running for mayor Naruto, it’s your duty as my husband to come to event’s to show support” Nagato spat back. The two men stared at each other. Naruto in defiance and Nagato in disappointment.

“When did you become this way Nagato. What happened to the man I married?” he watched carefully as Nagato mulled over his answer. The blonde was hoping deep down in his heart that a sign of the man he loved was still in the shell that only looked like him.

“I’ve had enough of this Naruto. You need to stop believing in fairy-tale endings and start living in the real world. Nobody cares for those with no future and the sooner you see that the sooner you can use your time wisely” Naruto stood rooted in his spot. His mouth hung open and eyes bulging. Never in his life had he felt so stunned. There had been a time once when Nagato had share his so called fairy tales.

“I can’t believe you! I’m trying to make a difference! To give kids a chance to have the future they deserve and you’re calling it a fairy tale!” his whole body began to shake in anger. “We were those kids once! Or have you just conveniently forgotten that?”

“How could I forget Naruto? Until Jiraiya found me my life was a living hell” the sound of his god fathers name made Naruto’s heart clench. They had only recently lost the man and Naruto was still grieving for him deeply.

“If Jiraiya could see you now he would be ashamed” Naruto spat out, his blonde bang’s bouncing off his head. A loud slap sounded out and Naruto raised his hand to his cheek. The area stung, the cold making the hit feel worse.

“Never say that again” Nagato seethed out, his eye’s wild and angry. Naruto was too shocked to say anything. His eye’s forming tears freely as he stared blankly at his husband. Nagato’s expression soften when he realised what he had done and pulled Naruto into a hug. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, I just…I’m sorry” Naruto stiffened in the embrace, the feel of Nagato’s hand on the back of his head bought no comfort to him. “It’ll never happen again love, it was an accident”

“I-I should go to bed” Naruto whispered, pulling away carefully. He watched Nagato closely, searching for any sign of the man’s previous anger. Nagato had never laid a hand on him before. Sure they had fought and sometimes things became heated but it had never resulted in anything physical. For Naruto the action supported his previous thinking. The man standing in front of him was not the Nagato he had grown to love. Nagato had changed into someone completely unrecognisable.

“Naruto…” he spun on his heal and quickly sprinted away from the stranger. His feet moving as quickly as they could until he reached the guest bathroom. Naruto looked at his reflection in the mirror. His blonde hair hung limply on his head and his cerulean blue eyes were glassy with unshed tears. What stood out though was the rapidly forming bruise on his right cheek. Naruto reached a hand up to touch it with his fingers but flinched when they skimmed it. It was definably one that wasn’t going to disappear overnight.

Naruto made his way out of the bathroom and flopped down onto the guest bedrooms bed. His hands above his head and eyes trained on the ceiling. He had to admit what he had said to Nagato was wrong on many levels. He should never have mentioned Jiraiya, let alone say the man would have been ashamed of his adopted son. It was a wound Naruto knew Nagato would hold deeply. When Nagato was eight Jiraiya had found him wandering the streets, covered in days old blood and his small body to overcome with shock to talk. Jiraiya had taken the boy in after finding out he had become an orphan after his parent’s had been murdered in a robbery gone horribly wrong.

Jiraiya hadn’t been the best guardian to Nagato though, he had constantly left the boy by himself while he went off to do research for his collection of novels. This lead Nagato spending a lot of his time getting into trouble and often finding himself in youth shelters like the one Naruto volunteered in. Eventually Nagato made a few friends, Konan and Yahiko and they led him down a more productive path. Naruto had met Nagato through Jiraiya when he was eighteen and fresh out of school, he had come to visit his god father and after realising Nagato had a similar history to him the two quickly bonded.

Naruto climbed under the covers slowly, closing his eyes and trying to welcome the calm embrace of sleep. He found it a struggle though as guilt niggled in his chest. He had never meant to hurt Nagato and he knew that his husband was only trying to fulfil his vision in the only way he could. He had explained to Naruto that if they were to change anything, their best chance was for Nagato to place himself at the root of the problem. It seemed the closer Nagato got to his goal the more the man changed though; Naruto could see it every day. The man was losing the battle in himself, the corruption of politics slowly twisting the once pure vision of the future. Naruto rolled over to his side, he felt defeated as he realised his dreams were falling apart in front of his eyes.

………………………………………

Naruto woke late the next morning and he was thankful it was the weekend. Any other day and he would have slept half the working day a way which would have resulted in missed appointments. He stretched his arms above his head and let out a yaw. His stiff joints groaned and his legs had a dull ache in them that remained from his walk the previous night. Naruto let out a sigh and looked towards the door. He didn’t feel like getting up. The bed he was in was safe and he could cocoon himself up and away from his problems. Naruto winced as he remembered the previous night’s event’s and threw the blankets over his head.

Naruto was certain the bruise would be a deep shade by now and he would have to come up with some excuse for his friends. Of course they would be suspicious but since it was the first time Nagato had laid a hand on him he doubted they would question him. Naruto berated himself silently. He felt pathetic and weak. Day after day he would offer people in similar situations help, suggest to them that the fault didn’t lie with them and that there was no excuse for physical violence. Here Naruto was, a bruise on his cheek and a husband showing signs of progressing domestic abuse and all he could do was make excuses.

Guilt washed over him again. Naruto was torn. On one hand he had his training telling him he should have walked out the door and never come back. On the other was the burden of being responsible for what transpired. For the first time in his life he was in the other position. He wasn’t the social worker. Naruto was the vulnerable, broken down patient that sat on the other side of the desk. The reality was too hard for him to face and he forced himself up. He couldn’t lie in bed any longer and spiral deeper into his depressive thoughts.

He tiptoed over to the door and rested his hand on the doorknob. He took a deep breath and poked his head out, looking in each direction down the hallway. He didn’t know what he would do if he saw his husband and he didn’t particularly feel like running into him. Naruto waited a few seconds before making his way down to their room and leant against the door, listening for signs of life behind it. He heard no rustling so he entered quietly, his body flooding with relief at it being empty. Naruto had a quick shower then proceeded to get dressed in a plain orange polo and comfortable dark slacks. He would have preferred a comfortable tracksuit but Nagato had thrown out most of his underclass looking clothes.

Naruto avoided the kitchen all together, deciding to get food on the run. He picked up his key’s and his wallet off the table in front of the door way and snuck out quickly. The first thing that Naruto noticed was that Nagato’s car was gone and he felt like hitting his head against the wall in frustration. He had wound himself up over nothing, snuck around like a child afraid of being caught and all for nothing. Naruto sighed and entered his car, put his keys in the ignition and backed out of the driveway. It wasn’t until he began to drive that he realised he had no clue where he was heading to.

Naruto went through the possibilities in his head and eventually ended up on the rougher side of town, outside a familiar and comforting building he spent the majority of his free time in. Konoha youth shelter. Naruto parked in his usual spot and made his way inside. He greeted the receptionist, Shizune with a forced smile and made his way to the staffing areas.

“I thought you weren’t coming in today” a familiar voice rang out. Naruto beamed at his closet friend. The man in front of him was slightly shorter than him, standing at 5’6. He had short red hair, almost the same colour as Nagato’s and piercing sea foam eyes. A tattoo lay above his left eye and it was creased in a questioning manor due to his eyebrow being raised.

“I changed my mind, I thought you weren’t either Gaara” Naruto retorted back, copying the man’s stance. Gaara was one of Naruto’s closet friends. They had met on the streets and had vowed they would help each other pursue their goals. Naruto and Gaara drove each other to finish school and go to college where Naruto majored in social work and Gaara in law. The two now worked together fighting for those who were too vulnerable to stand up for themselves. Naruto was thankful he had Gaara on his side. He was a ruthless lawyer and had put many child abusers behind bars, cases that Naruto had referred to him and each one free of charge.

“Last minute paper work. One of the parent’s filled for custody so I’m going for complete emancipation” Naruto’s brow’s creased. It was rare when the parent’s fought for children that ended up at the shelter. “It’s concerning, I’m assuming the parent is just missing the welfare pay check”

“It’s rare but there’s always one” Naruto frowned and sat down on the couch. Gaara sat next to him, his eyes travelling to the mark on the side of Naruto’s cheek. “It’s fine”

“That looks awfully like a hand mark Naruto” It was a statement, not a question. Naruto should have known he would never get anything past Gaara. The man was unusually perceptive, he never missed even the smallest of details.

“It was my fault…” Naruto muttered. He flinched at the words. He had heard those four words so many times in his career, he had never expected them to come from his mouth though.

“That’s what they all say Naruto” their eyes met and Naruto could see the anger in Gaara’s eyes. It was a stark contrast from his sad blue ones. “This is the first time?”

“Yeah. I told him Jiraiya would be ashamed of him, it’s to be expected” Gaara’s eye’s flared up again and Naruto saw his hand’s clench. Naruto hated how he couldn’t stop himself. Excuse after excuse was flowing out of his mouth before he could even think about it.

“If he lays a hand on you again Naruto I’ll have a restraining order in place so fast he won’t even know what hit him” Gaara’s response was mild and Naruto knew he was holding back. The two knew from experience lecturing never made any progress. It was up to the person to make the choice to leave, with support of course.

“I feel stupid for saying this but it would have been a onetime thing” Gaara stood up abruptly. Naruto’s words worried him and he knew it.

“Divorce him Naruto” Gaara wasn’t requesting it, he was trying to get Naruto to see sense. “We both know your marriage has been getting progressively worse. Nagato has all the signs and you know it. He’s been manipulating you, controlling you and now his behaviour has escalated to physical violence”

“Gaara…” the red haired man held up his hand causing Naruto to stop and let his words sink in.

“There is only one way your marriage is heading Naruto. I will have the divorce papers written up by Monday and on your desk for you to revise” Gaara walked out of the room, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

Gaara was right. Naruto knew the second Nagato had hit him that he would have to leave the man. The fact that he was making excuses for Nagato just sealed the reality of it all. If Naruto didn’t leave the marriage now there would be a high chance things would escalate further and he had been through too much already to let Nagato turn him into a victim. The decision weighed heavily down on him but he knew it was the right thing to do. Nagato was a stranger to him now and the longer he dragged things out the more at risk he was.

Naruto began to think of the past few years. He sifted through memory after memory and each memory solidified what Gaara had said. Nagato was constantly manipulating him. He had tried to do it to him last night by making Naruto believe he was at fault. He was also very controlling. Naruto’s current outfit proved that. Nagato controlled every aspect of his life except the precious area’s that Naruto refused to give up like his volunteer work but even that had been suffering lately. The signs were also there for the escalating aggression. God knows how many holes in the wall Naruto had patched up lately from Nagato’s outbursts of anger.

Naruto hung his head forward and his shoulders heaved from his sudden onset of sobbing. How could he have been so blind until now? He dealt with this sort of thing every day and yet he couldn’t see that he himself was one of the very people he fought to protect. It had been a long time since Naruto had felt so vulnerable and exposed. Not since he was a child had he felt this broken down and betrayed. It was like his very world was shattering around him and he couldn’t even think of how to pick up the pieces again. Through the broken shards that was now his life there was a slither of hope and strength. He had made his decision and there was no going back now. His marriage was over and he was going to make sure it stayed that way. Naruto Uzumaki was no longer going to allow himself to be a victim.


	3. Paperwork

Naruto looked up at the ceiling in his office chair, his arm’s falling to the side of it in defeat. It had been a rough weekend and the last place he wanted to be was at work. He knew he should have called in sick and cancel his appointments but he felt if he did he was letting his patients down. Naruto had spent the remainder of the weekend at Sakura’s, only venturing home to briefly grab a few changes of clothes and toiletries.  Naruto had been surprised at how jittery he had been when he had entered the home he and Nagato owned together. Every little sound made his heart feel like it was jumping out of his chest and caused his palms to sweat. It caused Naruto to question himself even more and wonder how things had gotten so bad that he feared walking through the door of a place he once felt so safe.

Sakura had spent the weekend consoling him. She had become a source of strength for him and a shoulder to cry on. His pink haired friend had spent hours listening to Naruto express his guilt, confusion and anger; Watching him go back and forth contemplating his decision. Naruto was thankful he had such an empathetic friend. Not once did Sakura send him a sympathetic glance. Instead she tried to put herself in his shoes causing an understanding in her of Naruto’s fluctuating emotions. It had been the first time Naruto had told someone everything and he felt physically and mentally drained from it all and yet he felt a slight freedom. He had shared his burden, let someone else in and felt the warmth of someone genuinely caring for him. Naruto would be forever grateful to Sakura for what she had done for him.

The bruise on Naruto’s check had become prominent, although the dark purple was not as vibrant as it had been. Sakura had spent the morning helping Naruto cover it with makeup. He felt a bit ridiculous and self-conscious wearing the liquid product Sakura had called foundation. Naruto hopped it wasn’t obvious but Sakura had done a decent job of hiding the mark. As much as he hated hiding behind the mask like product made for women he knew he didn’t have a choice. He needed to instil confidence in his patients of his working abilities and he doubted they would trust someone with evident abuse. How could they trust him to keep them safe if they believed he couldn’t even protect himself?

Naruto swung himself to an upright position and eyed the papers on his desk. He had yet to look at them or even touch them. It was like the stack of papers were some kind of pathogen and he felt if he touched them that would be it; it would be final. Naruto knew it was for the best though and he knew exactly what was holding him back from reading the legal papers. Fear. Naruto hated to admit it but the more his relationship came to light the more fear he let take over him. How would Nagato react? Would he try find Naruto? Would he be angry? Naruto let out a sigh and grasped at his face in a downward motion, showing his frustration. He hated how he let fear take over him and heighten his thoughts to the worst possible situations. For all he knew Nagato could agree that divorce was the best option. It had to be obvious to the other man that their marriage had reached breaking point and that there was nothing to fix, no pieces to pick up a glue back together. Hell, if they tried Naruto doubt the pieces would even fit together anymore. It would be like a child trying to force a square block into a circle opening in a toy.

Naruto’s phone rang and he looked down at the number. Gaara’s name popped up and he considered ignoring it. He knew the older man was calling for an answer, one that Naruto didn’t have yet. After a few ring’s he swiped the screen and raised it to his ear. “Hey Gaara”

 _“You haven’t read it yet have you?”_ always straight to the point. Naruto didn’t expect anything less from the red head.

“No…I just can’t seem to pick it up” he heard Gaara sigh on the other end of the phone. Naruto laid his hand over the divorce papers. It was a small action but it was a start.

 _“It’s pretty straight forward. I just need you to look over the assets. I’ve put down that you want half of everything…”_ Naruto’s gut churned. He didn’t want half. He only wanted what he put into the financial aspects and the few thing’s he held dear to his heart.

“I only want my inheritance. It’s tied up in the house though…everything else is just personal items he has no claim over like photographs” It annoyed Naruto how little he had. He had invested half his money into building their house and the other half he put into improving the shelter. Naruto wondered if Nagato would sell the house to return Naruto’s money. If Naruto was honest with himself he had no clue about their financial position and if the man was capable of giving Naruto his money without selling the mansion. Nagato had handle all of the money, the only involvement Naruto had in it was his weekly allowance Nagato issued to him.

 _“Are you sure that’s all you want? I’m sure if you threatened to go public he would gladly give up half instead of ruining his image”_ Naruto knew Gaara was only trying to do what was in his best interest but he couldn’t help but feel he was being more cut throat than usual.  Almost as if he would get some enjoyment dragging Nagato through the mud.

“I’m sure. I only want what’s important and that’s my parent’s legacy. Everything else he can have. He worked for it so he deserves it. I don’t have the heart to destroy everything he’s built for himself” Gaara wanted to argue with him. He could tell through the silence that his long-time friend was restraining himself from debating the issue.

 _“Alight. Ill type up the alterations. I’ll bring the revision over to Sakura’s tonight for you to sign and I’ll send them to Orochimaru tomorrow morning”_ The name of Nagato’s lawyer made the blonde man’s skin crawl in disgust. The snake like man was a ladder climber and he had leached himself onto Nagato a few years back. Naruto knew from the start it was a bad idea getting involved with the ambitious man. Nagato had let the man have far too much say in his life in his opinion; one of the many corrupt in Nagato’s inner circle.

“Do we have to do this so fast? I’m still trying to get my head around everything” there was a knock on his door and Naruto furrowed his brows. He didn’t have another appointment for a few hours. His eyes widened when a familiar but new face walked through the door.

“ _Naruto, you know there is no reason to drag this out. The sooner you file the sooner you can move on with your life”_ Naruto’s eyes locked onto onyx curious ones. Sasuke Uchiha stood before him, waiting patiently for him to end his phone call.

“Your right, I’ll see you tonight” there was a click as the call was disconnected and Naruto put it down on his desk. He turned to the attractive man who had made himself comfortable in the chair across from him. “Mr Uchiha…”

“Please, call me Sasuke” the man smirked. Naruto raised his eyebrow at him while he took in his appearance. Sasuke was dressed more casually then when he had first met him. His body was clad in a pair of tight fitting jeans and a black, silk button up shirt. On his right wrist was what Naruto assumed to be a rather expensive watch and his raven hair was parted slightly to the side. Naruto finally appreciated how attractive the arrogant man really was and he felt his stomach flutter.

“What brings you to my office…Sasuke?”

……………………………

Sasuke’s smirk got wider at the sound of his name rolling off the tanned blonde’s lips. It had taken a while to track down where the man had worked but sitting in front of him now made him realise how worth the effort was. Sasuke took note of how Naruto suited the kind of environment they were in. His office reflecting his passion to protect and help those who walked through his door. His dark eye’s scanned the walls, flicking over numerous diplomas and he realised how over qualified for the job Naruto was, which meant Naruto had chosen the low income job over other better off options.

“You intrigued me…well your idea’s did” Sasuke leant forward and he noticed a stack of paper in the middle of the desk that looked untouched. Blue eyes followed his gaze and Naruto quickly covered them up, fear flashing under the swirling eyes.

“Don’t waste my time Uchiha. It was pretty obvious you and your brother were making fun of me and my idea’s” Naruto folded his arms over his chest and Sasuke frowned. He didn’t realise how much of a bad impression he had made until now. If he didn’t do some damage control he would lose his opportunity to spend more time with the man without looking suspicious.

“You read me and my brother all wrong. Sharingan Corporation is always on the lookout for worthy causes and what you said that night struck a chord in us. We would like to invite you to our main office to discuss them and any other ways we can contribute” the room filled with silence as Naruto thought over his offer and Sasuke held back a smile. He wasn’t lying. Itachi had also expressed an interest in Naruto’s ideas and was currently looking into ways to push financial aid into certain areas that Naruto brought up.

“Does Nagato know about this?” Sasuke was expecting that question. But there was an emotion he couldn’t place and it made Sasuke hesitant. He narrowed his eyes, taking in the social workers appearance and looking past the obvious. Naruto looked like he had lost a little bit of weight and his healthy glow seemed to have dulled. His hair was unusually messy as if little maintenance was done to it over the weekend. But what struck Sasuke the most was that Naruto had a layer of makeup on. He leant forward, causing Naruto’s eyes to widen at the sudden movement. The closer he got to Naruto the more visible the makeup became and eventually he saw a faint darkening of the skin on one of his cheeks. “Mr Uchiha?”

“Sorry…” Sasuke mumbled and sat back down; His curiosity peaking. Something had definably happened and Sasuke was going to get to the bottom of it. “Nagato has not been consulted about this and I see no need to involve him. This is a separate business to his financial campaign backing”

“Oh…then sure. I’d be happy to” Sasuke watched as the warm glow that had first caught his attention return to the blonde and smiled back. “I’d like to show you something first…Would you meet me here around five?” Naruto scribbled an address down on a piece of paper then handed it to him. Sasuke let his hand slightly graze the other mans and a slight blush crept up on the whiskered cheeks. “I know it’s not exactly an area of town you are use to but…if I show you then maybe you could understand my idea’s more”

“Of course Naruto…may I call you Naruto?” Sasuke stood up and held out his hand. Naruto looked down at it warily before taking it. Sasuke deliberated what to do, he fought the urge to turn the slightly rough hand over and kiss the back of it. He did not want to push things and cause a distance between them before he even got the chance to get closer to the man.

“I’ll walk you out” Naruto walked around the desk and held out the door for him. Naruto seemed to be more relaxed around him. The defensive attitude he encountered when first entering gone. The two men were half way down the hallway when Sasuke stopped and put his hands into his pockets. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think I left my keys in your office though. I’ll be back in a minute” Sasuke spun around on his heel before Naruto could offer to come with him. For some reason he had a nagging urge to look at the papers Naruto had hidden from him. The bruise on the passionate man’s cheek made his stomach churn and he felt that the covered up documents had something to do with it. Sasuke quickly closed the door behind him and walked over to the desk. His delicate hands moved the item covering the paper; shifting it to the side slightly. He wanted to be careful about this. If Naruto found out he was snooping he was sure the man would refuse to trust him.

The papers look undisturbed as if they hadn’t been touched at all since being placed on the desk. Sasuke made sure to not touch them and leant over to examine the first page. His eyes widened as he read the first few lines. Divorce papers. Not just any divorce papers…Naruto’s divorce papers. Sasuke felt smug at the new revelation. He knew going after Naruto was going to be a challenge due to him being married but if the man was divorcing Nagato then it gave him an advantage. Although Nagato had made it clear he would not let go of the blonde easily it was exciting to see it was the opposite for Naruto.

Sasuke put everything back to the way it was. Making sure that not even a speck of dust was out of place. The Uchiha hid his over confident smile behind his business mask, he didn’t want to give away what he knew. When he returned to Naruto’s side though he was reminded of the mark on the man’s stunning face. Was that the reason Naruto wanted divorce? Had Nagato hit his husband? The very thought made his hands clench. Who in their right mind would raise a hand to someone so obviously caring and sweet? Yes he could see that the blonde could be challenging at time due to his passionate hard headedness but to mark someone so pure and good in such a way was just unimaginable to Sasuke. It threw Sasuke how attached he had become to the bubbly blonde so quickly. He had barley spent ten minutes in a room together then man and he already had an overwhelming urge to protect and support him.


	4. Future

Sasuke told his driver to pull into the car park of the address Naruto had given him. He had opted not to drive himself as the area wasn’t exactly safe and all of the cars he owned had a price tag only the wealthy could afford. The idea of one of them being stolen or damaged made him cringe; his cars were his babies. He eyed the building as he got out of the car and was surprised to see how far spread it was. Sasuke had assumed it was the shelter Naruto volunteered at so he was expecting a small, run down space. What was in front him though look large with numerous wings, newly renovated and up kept. Sasuke wondered how such a feat of keeping the place secure and maintained was in such an area.

Sasuke waved his driver off and made his way towards the door. He was quickly greeted by an excited Naruto who was rocking on the balls of his feet. Naruto was obviously proud of the establishment and it made Sasuke want to explore the facility to see why the blonde was so invested in the place. Naruto held the door out for him and Sasuke stopped in his tracks. To the left side of the entrance was a reception with a pleasant looking woman sitting behind it. Across the room was what looked like a modern waiting room and Sasuke felt as if he was entering a doctor’s room. What struck Sasuke though was how secure the building was. Security cameras were placed in each corner so blind spots were eliminated and before a plain looking door stood a security check point with a casual looking guard standing beside it.

“I know, it can be a bit intimidating but we have to take precautions” Naruto shrugged. Sasuke watched as Naruto greeted the receptionist and a buzz was heard. He assumed that was signifying the door into the shelter had been unlocked. “Don’t worry, you won’t need to go through the procedures. They are there for visitors. A lot of the children here have suffered abuse in some form so we need to ensure visitors mean no harm to them. Also we have very strict rules about weapons and drugs on the premises”

“How often do you catch people with those…items” Sasuke asked. He felt intimidated as he walked past the guard who Naruto introduced as Asuma. The man gave him a friendly smile as he passed but he kept a close eye on him.

“Not often. The fact is a lot of the kids choose to be here. They know the rules and abide by them. We do have an area though for those dealing with addiction, sort of like a rehab centre but smaller. Also a lot of parents just give up their children to our care. They feel that this is a better place for them” Sasuke felt his gut drop. He knew what it was like to be alone. Yes he had his brother but they had lost their parent’s in an assassination and the pain from that trauma affected them both deeply. Sasuke hadn’t even seen past the hallway and he already could see why Naruto was so passionate about his cause and why he spent so much time here. “These kids…their good kids who have just been dealt a shit hand and here we try give them a better future. It’s hard though. Were at capacity and have been turning down people. I’ve tried to convince Tsunade to take them in but with all the building codes and regulations it would be a health risk”

“Why don’t you expand?” Sasuke followed Naruto through a door and he felt uncomfortable as all eyes turned to them. He became aware of the messy area. About 10 young girls were in various areas of what looked like a communal lounge. A rather large kitchen was off to the left and a hallway lead further down to what Sasuke assumed was bedrooms. The room was bright though, filled with the noise of laughing babies.

“We don’t have the money. The only reason this place is so big now is because I invested half my inheritance into it” Naruto made his way over to one of the girls. A bright smile on his face as he cooed over a rather young baby. Sasuke observed each girl, putting their ages eighteen and under. “This wing was my idea”

“There all so young” Naruto gave him a weak smile and motioned for him to follow him. He led him to an empty room that had a small bed and a cot with various items for a baby ranging from toys, clothes and nappies.

“Some parent’s turn their backs on them. The girls here now were kicked out of home after telling their families they were pregnant and they had nowhere to go and no money to provide. We created this wing to help them. They can stay until their child is two and then they move into another area. Before that happens though we try to get them into apprenticeship programmes, jobs or even study so that they can find somewhere to rent and support themselves. On top of that we offer them free childcare so they can focus on setting themselves up for the future without that expense” Sasuke was in awe. He had never heard of such a plan before. The free childcare was expensive enough let alone the funds to provide start up items. “The only regret I have is we can only take in twelve girls at a time”

“This is incredible! How do you fund all this!” Naruto let out a laugh. It pulled Sasuke out of his stupor and he focused on the enchanting man. Naruto was really one of a kind.

“I told you. I invested half my inheritance. This area was completely funded by me because the rest of the areas have slight government subsidies” Naruto took his hand and pulled him out of the room. Sasuke felt the warmth of the other man’s grip spread up his arm and he felt the need to embrace Naruto. He didn’t though, he was an Uchiha after all and to lose his composure would be undignified. “Come on, I have plenty more to show you”

…………………………………………..

Naruto got enjoyment out of seeing Sasuke speechless time after time. Each area he took him to left the composed man stumped and asking questions. Sasuke was actively participating in every room as well. Even joining in to play a game of stuck in the mud in the hall with the younger kids. That moment had made Naruto’s heart flutter. The more time he spent with Sasuke the more he saw his first opinion of him was wrong. Yes he was an arrogant man but he also had a softer side to him. Naruto found his company enjoyable and wondered if he could spend more time with him in the future. Naruto shook his head quickly, he hadn’t even handed Nagato the divorce papers yet and he was thinking about spending time with a rather attractive man.

“So where are we going now?” Naruto gave Sasuke a cheshire cat grin. Naruto had shown him every area there was. Each area was spilt into age group, sex and special conditions a child may have with the exception of communal areas. In reality the shelter was more like a boarding school. Naruto had been saving Tsunade for last. Knowing that the woman could be extremely intimidating and he wanted to make sure he had gotten Sasuke’s attention enough before introducing him.

“To see Tsunade. She run’s this shelter” He held back a chuckle. Naruto assumed Sasuke would think he was meeting a pleasant, grandmother like figure which was far from the truth. Tsunade was a no nonsense woman who liked her drink and gambling. Although she was terrible at the latter. Naruto knocked on her office door and entered when he heard a gruff acknowledgement. “Hey granny, I brought a visitor!”

“How many times do I have to tell you brat! Don’t call me that!” He ducked as a heavy paper weight flew past his head and hit the wall behind him. Naruto knew from experience how much the weight hurt, it had connected on a few occasions. “Who are you?”

“Sasuke Uchiha…” Naruto could hear the uncertainty in the raven haired male’s voice. Sasuke was scared and he should be.

“Well, you wanted to know what you could do to help right?” Naruto put his hands behind his back and began to rock on his heels. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously and Naruto winked at him. “We need a long term benefactor…”

“Brat! What do you think you’re doing! You can’t just bring someone into my office and try hustle him into helping!” Tsunade stood up and slammed her hands down on the desk in front of her.

“He said he wanted to help!” Naruto glared back. Tsunade tried to stare him down and eventually she swayed and fell back into her chair defeated.

“You…Uchiha” Sasuke stepped forward, his face turning hard and eyes determined. “You interested?”

“I’ll have to talk it over with my brother but from what Naruto has showed me this is exactly the kind of establishment we would be interested in supporting. Although we would have terms” Naruto ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly became very awkward. Of course the man would want something in return.

“We have nothing to give Uchiha” Tsunade spat out, her glare piercing.

“You misunderstand. Sharingan Corporation is into expansion. When we see something as unique as this we see an opportunity for growth. For example Naruto pointed out a number of areas that needed more space. We would look into expanding these areas. Also we would like to use the plan you have and take it into other areas of the city. All charity of course, we would never seek to make money from a cause like this” Naruto was frozen. His eyes as wide as an owls and mouth dropped open. Sasuke was talking about taking Naruto’s dream and spreading it. He had spent years with Tsunade building the shelter up into a strong foundation for future shelters to take on their example.

“Don’t play games with me Uchiha. What do you get out of this, no one is that generous” Naruto eyed Tsunade carefully. If she had her back up about it then maybe he should to. After all it did sound too good to be true.

“My brother and I have been searching a long time for a charity such as this to support. We are very particular and if it doesn’t have a high chance of success then we see no point in entertaining the idea. But this place...this place is revolutionary” Naruto sighed. There it was. Sasuke wanted to take the credit for all the hard work Tsunade’s team had put in. “We would only be in the background though”

“Here” Tsunade chucked a folder at Sasuke and Naruto watch him catch it with ease. “Those are all our documents, our framework for the shelter, programmes and future plans. Also included is the cost to run this place which I’m sure your financial team will want to look over”

“Thank you. I will have my brother look over it tonight and we will get back to you once we have made our decision” Sasuke gave the short yet intimidating woman a small bow to show his respect then turned to Naruto. “I have to be going now, will you show me the way out?”

“Oh…yeah, follow me” Naruto bid Tsunade farewell then made his way to the front door. He went to apologise to Sasuke about putting him on the spot like that but the words wouldn’t form.

“That was a bit underhanded of you, Dobe” Sasuke chided. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. He felt an unwelcomed guilt wash over him. He really didn’t mean to bulldoze Sasuke, he only wanted him to think about the idea of becoming a benefactor. “I’m impressed”

“What?” Naruto cocked his head to the side and took in Sasuke’s expression. Something glistened in the onyx pools. Admiration maybe? “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be? Everything I said in there was the truth. This facility is exactly the kind of charity Itachi and I have been looking for” Naruto bit his lip as his guilt subsided. “And if I admit it…it was kind of sexy seeing you be so devilish”

“What the hell Teme!” Naruto stumbled over his feet. A blush creeping up his cheeks as he spluttered over his words. Sasuke smirked at him wolfishly then pulled out his cell phone.

“We need to make an appointment. Itachi will need to discuss this with you before we make a decision. Say dinner? Friday night?” Naruto became aware of how close Sasuke was standing to him. His warm breath grazed the side of his face and the paler man’s nose was almost touching his. Naruto found himself nodding slowly, his breath quickening as his eyes flicked down to Sasuke’s lips. He didn’t dare move that inch to connect their lips together, even if his mind was screaming at him to do it. It wasn’t right. Even after everything Nagato had put him through he couldn’t entertain the idea of being with another man until the red haired man knew Naruto had left him. In Naruto’s mind until he handed over the divorce papers it would be cheating.

“That should be alright…” Naruto finally managed to force out. Sasuke took a step back and handed Naruto his cell phone.

“Put your number in so I can call you with the details” Naruto moved his fingers, having to delete a few number here and there as his hands were shaking from the intensity he felt before. He had a feeling Sasuke knew how he affected Naruto in that moment; the smugness was rolling off him in waves. “See you around Naruto” Sasuke was gone in an instant. Leaving Naruto to compose his thoughts. He didn’t know how but in a matter of minutes the man had left him flustered and he hadn’t even touched him. On the other hand though he may have secured the shelters future. A wide smile crept up onto his face. Finally he was making a difference.


	5. Divorce

Naruto clutched the newly revised divorce papers to his chest. His heart hammered against them and sweat beaded on his forehead. He had rejected Gaara’s offer to come with him but now he was regretting that decision. His breathing became laboured as he thought about what was lying behind that door. How would Nagato react? The anxious blonde squeezed his eyes shut and slowly entered over the threshold, the papers shaking in his fearful grip. Naruto started to wonder if he could really do this, could he hand over the documents and then just walk out on everything he had built with Nagato. Would his husband even let him turn his back on what little was left of their marriage.

The door clicked quietly closed behind him, his eyes scanning every area he could see. Gaara had made it clear to him that he was to go upstairs first, grab his possessions and then confront Nagato. He had questioned it of course, thinking that Nagato would know immediately what was happening. The floor boards creaked under his weight as his ears picked up faint talking from Nagato’s office further down on the first level. His fear subsided slightly. If Nagato had company then there was a chance he could get in and out before an argument ensued.

When Naruto made his way into what use to be their shared bedroom he grabbed a suitcase out from under the bed. He then proceeded to grab the things he held close to his heart; photographs of his parents and friends, gifts from Jiraiya and the necklace Tsunade had given him. It wasn’t much but Naruto was used to having so little, it was only after moving in with Nagato did he accumulate more possessions and they were things like furniture which he was happy to leave. The next things he grabbed were his clothes and his laptop. Naruto quickly closed the suitcase and made his way down the stairs again, placing it next to the door before taking in a deep breath.

His feet almost felt as if they were lead. Each step gaining weight and slowing him down. Naruto persevered though. His fear would not control him; Nagato would not control him. After what felt like an eternity a breathless Naruto knocked on the office door. He cringed when he heard Nagato’s smooth voice ring out and Naruto gave himself a small, reassuring pep talk in his head before entering. Nagato stared up at him surprised, it was obvious the man was not expecting Naruto to be home.

“Naruto…I’m just in a meeting” two familiar people greeted him. The Uchiha brothers sat opposite Nagato quiet comfortably and Naruto avoided the youngest one’s gaze. There was something in Sasuke’s eyes that unsettled him, a knowing look and obnoxious smirk gracing his features. The oldest Itachi, merely looked amused; a faint interest in the newcomer.

“Oh…I just wanted to give you something…” his voice wavered and a blush crept up his cheeks. Nagato looked at him impatiently, it caused Naruto’s resolve to harden. He did not come all the way back to this house for nothing. If Naruto didn’t give him the papers now he would lose his nerve and have Gaara send them. That wasn’t the way Naruto wanted to do things, he wanted Nagato know that he was serious; that it was really over.

“Can’t it wait Naruto?” the embarrassed man grimaced out. The whiskered scared Naruto grew angry. He hated how Nagato always treated him as a nuisance and that the two men between them were more important than their marriage. It became very clear to Naruto in that instance how little Nagato valued him.

“Here. Sign them and get them back to Gaara” The papers left Naruto’s now sturdy hands quickly and landed on the mahogany desk with a resounding bang. Nagato made no move for them and eyed them as if they were contaminating his desk.

“I don’t have time for your games right now Naruto…” Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Sasuke move slightly. The pale man’s hands were curled into fists and Naruto could have sworn he saw the man’s face show a flash of anger. It confused Naruto. Why would Sasuke care how Nagato treated him? Yes the disrespect his husband was showing him was distasteful but he never thought Sasuke would bat an eyelash if it didn’t concern him; even after spending a few hours with him at the centre yesterday.

“It’s quite alright. Sasuke and I can come back at a more convenient time” Itachi stated calmly, making a move to stand up. Nagato raised his hand and shook his head. His eyes piercing daggers into Naruto’s.

“No. Naruto can wait, this is more important” Something in Naruto snapped. He felt his face well up with radiating heat and he snarl his lips. He had come here to do the decent thing and end their marriage in person and Nagato treated him as if he was dirt; that he was just a small insignificant bug that he had just stepped on.

“Don’t fucking bother Nagato, I’m leaving and I’m not coming back. Just sign the fucking divorce papers and give them to Gaara. I never want to see or hear from you again” Naruto stormed out of the room, the hair on his forehead blowing backwards from his quick and forceful pace. He couldn’t believe he had even doubted his decision to leave Nagato. That he felt guilty and responsible for their marriage falling apart. But now he saw it for what it really was. Nagato couldn’t care less about him or their marriage. Naruto had been so blind and naïve to think that the red head loved him, that there was even a small slither of hope to cling onto.

Naruto didn’t stop when he head footsteps behind him. He kept his head high and his pace constant. He refused to give Nagato the satisfaction of even one glance back. Naruto deserved better. He deserved someone who loved him, who cared for him and who would never harm him. For once in his life Naruto was going to put himself first. Nagato be damned, he was taking his life back. He reached his hand down to grab the handle of his suitcase but found himself spun around quickly.

Nagato pushed him up against the door. His eyes feral as he imposed down upon him. Naruto went to push the out of control man away only to have the divorce papers waved in front of his face. Naruto placed one foot behind him to sturdy himself and gave Nagato one last push, causing him to stumble backwards. He picked up his suitcase, holding it against his chest to protect himself.

“Divorce! You have to be fucking kidding me!” Nagato yelled out, throwing the papers on the ground and causing them to scatter. “After everything I have done for you, this is how you repay me!”

“Yes Nagato, divorce. I’m sick of fighting with you and after what happened I can’t be with you anymore” he placed a hand on the door handle behind his back slowly. He didn’t know how far Nagato would take this and his only hope was that the Uchiha brothers being in the house would keep Nagato at bay.

“This is because you had to walk home! Jesus Naruto! Stop being so childish!” Nagato fisted his hands into his hair; an exasperated sigh leaving his lips.

“You think…you think it’s because I walked home?” Naruto replied shocked. He felt as if he had been doused in ice water. Did his husband really not acknowledge punching him? “You hit me Nagato!” tears began to pool in his cerulean blue eyes. “How can you not understand that the second you raised your hand to me that you ended this!”

“Men fight Naruto! It’s normal! Stop being such a baby!” Nagato took a step forward and went to grab the suitcase out of his husband’s hands. “Stop this nonsense”

“No Nagato. What you did…it’s not normal…it’s not okay” Naruto whispered out, tears now falling freely down his face. He felt despaired at Nagato’s revelation. “It doesn’t matter that we are both men. I am your husband and it is never okay to lay a hand on me in that way and the fact that you can’t see that proves to me that leaving you is the right thing”

“You can’t do this to me! I’m running for Mayor! If you do this you will ruin everything! I won’t sign it Naruto! I refuse to!” Nagato grew frantic causing the frightened blonde to become alarmed. “I’ve given you everything you ever wanted! You owe me your support!”

“I owe you nothing Nagato. I’m leaving now…” Naruto twisted the handle of the door and pulled it. The door forced him to take a few steps forward and Nagato grasped onto his arm. “Let go…”

“I won’t let you leave me Naruto, I won’t let you destroy my career” Naruto winced under the tightening grip. He needed to distract Nagato somehow and get the man to let him leave. “You will forget all this divorce bullshit and fulfil your duties as my husband”

“Let go of me Nagato or I will scream” The two men stared at each other for a while before Nagato let his grip drop. “If you have any issues with the divorce papers contact Gaara”

Naruto was out of the door in an instant and broke into a sprint towards his car. His legs were shaking with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. When he reached his car he flung himself into it and locked the doors. His emotions overwhelmed him causing his hands to become glued and unmoving on the steering wheel. Salty tears poured down his face, his lips trembled and his nostrils flared. Naruto felt so stupid. He should have listened to Gaara and brought the man with him. If he had Nagato would never been able to get near him.

Naruto quickly pulled out of the driveway and attempted to make his way to Sakura’s. Eventually he felt his shoulders hunch over. He pulled over, turning off the car and he placed his head on the top of the steering wheel. What was the point at keeping his emotions at bay? It was like flood gates exploded and a scream tore from his throat. All of the pain, betrayal and regret ripping the scream harshly causing it to sound like a wounded animal. He felt battered emotionally and physically. It was like Nagato had taken him and everything he stood for and crushed it in his hands over the years. How could he go on? Nagato was right, he had nothing. All of his money was tied up in their house, his belongings were so few he could fit them all into a suitcase and he couldn’t keep couch surfing at his friends places.

Naruto felt completely and utterly defeated. Never had he imagined that he would end up homeless again with little to his name. Back then he had Jiraiya to partially rely on but now? Who did he have? What did he have? Of course he wouldn’t go back to Nagato, what little self-respect he did have he clung to like a life line. If he held on to that one shred of self-decency he could at least try to pick himself up. Naruto jumped when he heard a tap on the passenger’s side window and wound it down.

………………………………………

Sasuke and Itachi had remained in Nagato’s office, listening to the couple scream at each other. It took everything Sasuke had to stay in his seat and listen to the escalating situation. He felt Itachi’s eyes on him, watching him carefully. It made him feel slightly calmer knowing that his brother was next to him, that if anything serious happened there was two of them to defuse the situation.

“You knew?” Itachi stated. His voice held a hint of amusement at how involved Sasuke already seemed to be. Usually it would irritate him when his brother poked his nose into his personal life but this time it was different. They were after all backing Nagato and Sasuke trying to gain Naruto’s affections was an unstable factor to the company. Itachi had a right to know that Sasuke was willing to shake things up and that there were extra risks attached.

“I knew, I saw the papers yesterday” Sasuke’s eyes met his brothers identical ones and Itachi frowned at him. “Alright, so maybe I took a peak when Naruto wasn’t looking”

“Sasuke…things seem…unusually volatile between them, be careful” That was Itachi. Prying and yet reserved. He always knew Sasuke’s business yet his attempts to steer Sasuke down the right path was cryptic warnings and guiding words. Sasuke didn’t know how he managed to do it as even when he thought he was doing the opposite of what his brother wanted the end result always played out how Itachi envisioned.

“I can handle Nagato” Sasuke scoffed. He was Sasuke Uchiha, co-owner of a billion dollar business. Nagato was nothing but a ladder climbing figure head. Sasuke had the real power and if he wanted to he could destroy Nagato.

“I meant Naruto, Otouto. I know men like Naruto and I know you” Itachi’s tone was accusing and wary. It was obvious his concern was for Naruto not him. “This man…he isn’t a plaything. If you pursue him make sure it’s for the right reasons”

“I’m not an idiot, Oniisan. Naruto is…different” his brother raised an eyebrow at him, a small smile playing on his lips as if he knew something Sasuke didn’t.

“I’m sorry gentlemen but I’ll have to cut this meeting short” Nagato bowled into the room. His hair a mess and checks tinge in red. It didn’t take much to confirm Sasuke’s suspicions. The man in front of them had clear signs of a temper. The bruise on Naruto’s cheek had definably come from the man in front of them.

“It’s quite alright. If you don’t mind me saying Mr Gakure an amicable split is better in the public eye…” Sasuke felt a guarded feeling come over him as Nagato tried to stare his unfazed brother down. “I mean no harm. I’m just saying a messy divorce doesn’t go away quickly…”

“I will keep that in mind Mr Uchiha. Now if you don’t mind I need to call my lawyer” Sasuke and Itachi left without a word. They remained in silence until they got to their car, hoping in the back as the driver held the door open for them.

“What do you think?” Sasuke questioned. He stared out the window his mind on Naruto. He wondered where he was right now and if he was okay. He was sure Nagato hadn’t hurt him again since they had been on the premises but from the raised voices he assumed it was a nasty verbal exchange.

“I think. That Mr Gakure does not let go of his possessions easily” Sasuke spun his head quickly, his eyes narrowing.

“Naruto is not a possession Oniisan” he spat out. Itachi nodded in agreement.

“I didn’t say he was…but to Nagato…” Sasuke understood what he had meant. They had both seen it numerous times. Living in the top end of society they came across numerous greedy men and woman that saw people as possessions. They used them as toys and if they weren’t done with playing with them it was nearly impossible to pull those people out of the iron grip hold they had.

But Sasuke was certain Naruto was different. For one the man had moved quickly when cutting ties. Throwing divorce papers straight away rather than sticking it out. Sasuke had also seen how passionate he was and passionate people were strong people. “Kakashi, pull over”

“Oniisan?” Sasuke asked confused. He watched as Itachi quickly got out of the car. Sasuke remained inside the vehicle, waiting for his brother to return and when he did his eyes grew wide. Naruto slid in behind him. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and his hair feel forward as he looked at his feet. Naruto avoided his stared, obviously embarrassed about his current condition.

“Naruto’s going to stay with us for tonight” a soft sniffle came from Naruto and Sasuke watched as a blush rose to his cheeks. It reminded Sasuke of yesterday but this time it gave him no pleasure. The blonde man looked so fragile he was fearful to touch him, afraid that even the smallest pressure would cause the man to crumble. It made Sasuke’s heart clench in pain and yet to him it was a beautiful sight. Naruto was so vulnerable, his emotions pouring out from every whimper and slight movement. It made Sasuke want to go back to the house they just left and beat Nagato to a bloody pulp but at the same time he wanted to take Naruto into his arms and hide him from the world. He wanted to wrap the fragile man up so that no harm could come to him again.

“Thank you” Naruto’s voice was fainter then a whisper but Sasuke heard it and gave him a reassuring smile. He wanted Naruto to know he was safe with him.


	6. Awkward breakfast and messages

Naruto woke up the next morning feeling a bit more refreshed. His eye’s felt dried out though, causing them to sting slightly. He was grateful for Itachi and Sasuke. Both men hadn’t pried. They had shown Naruto to a guest room and left him be. It was like the two men had understood that he needed time to himself. That he needed time to cry out all of his pain before opening up. Of course Naruto had felt awkward about the situation. Two men, who were basically strangers to him saw him so open and vulnerable. It was always going to have some level of uneasy tip toeing from each party. Naruto looked over to his phone and groaned at the constant buzzing from it.

He reached out a fumbling hand to grab it, his eye’s squinting in an effort to reduce the stinging in them. Naruto flicked past the messages from his now ex-husband, deciding to read them later when he had the mental strength and opened the one’s from Sakura and Gaara. The last message from Sakura causing him to frantically call her back. Naruto heard the phone click over and quickly pulled the phone a safe distance away from his ear.

 _“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I HAVE BEEN YOU IDIOT!”_ the fiery, pink haired woman screamed down the phone. _“I CALLED EVERYONE! I WAS ABOUT TO CALL THE DAMN COPS!”_

“I’m sorry for worrying you Sakura…” Naruto replied back quickly. The concern in her tone making his stomach clench. She sounded frantic and on the verge of tears.

 _“Jesus Naruto…I thought…I thought…”_ there was a crack in her voice and a soft sob emitted from the phone. Naruto swore under his breath. He hadn’t even thought about calling Sakura and letting her know he was okay. He had just been so wrapped up in his own thought’s no one else had crossed his mind.

“I’m so sorry Sakura…I just…things got a little bit messy” Naruto looked up to the ceiling. He had no idea how he was going to explain to Sakura that he ended up at the Uchiha brother’s mansion.

 _“If that low life, piece of crap hurt you…I swear to god Naruto”_ The blonde held back a laugh. Yes Sakura was small in stature but Naruto knew from experience she had one hell of a temper, followed up but a pretty hefty punch. _“He didn’t hurt you did he…”_

“No…not really…I’m okay Sakura I just sort of…fell apart while driving” he heard his long-time friend let out a sigh of relief.

 _“Where are you? I’ll come and get you”_ Naruto wrestled with himself. He knew if he told Sakura she would probably flip out on him but he also wanted to avoid what Naruto assumed would be an awkward breakfast. He was about to answer when there was a knock on the door and the driver from last night poked his silver haired covered head through the door.

“I’ve been told to get you for breakfast. Itachi has gone to work but Sasuke is waiting for you in the kitchen” the phone dropped out of his hand as a piercing shriek came from it, startling Naruto and causing his ear to ring. Naruto nodded quickly to the man, feeling embarrassed that he didn’t remember his name.

“Thank you…” Naruto assumed the man smiled from the way the mask that covered his mouth shifted slightly upwards.

“Kakashi Hakate, I’m the Uchiha brother personal assistant, driver, body guard…well I guess you could call me their carer” Naruto chuckled at the idea of the obviously powerful brother’s needing a carer.  Naruto’s attention was brought back to the phone he had dropped and quickly picked it back up.

 _“Sasuke…You are at Sasuke Uchiha’s…You lucky idiot”_ Naruto rolled his eyes. Now he remembered why the name seemed so familiar to him. Sakura had spent quite a bit of time fawning over tabloids in school, sketching Sakura Uchiha into her notepad. Eventually she had given up pursing the man once it had been revealed he preferred the company of men. _“You have to tell me everything!”_

“Uh…I have to go Sakura, can’t leave breakfast waiting you know…” he quickly pressed the end button, cutting off whatever Sakura was saying. He really didn’t have the energy to listen to her fan girl. “Sorry about that, I’ll quickly get changed”

“Take your time, I’ll wait outside the door so I can show you the way” Naruto saw the man pull a familiar book out of his pocket as he was closing the door. It made him smile as he remembered his godfather, it was like he was being reminded that even though the man wasn’t their physically he was still in Naruto’s heart.

Naruto jumped out of bed and flipped open his suitcase. He cringed at how messy everything had been thrown in and rummaged through it to find something less wrinkled. He eventually settled on a pair of jeans and an orange crew neck sweater. It wasn’t anything flash but he really was only aiming for comfort. Naruto the proceeded to the bathroom with his toiletries. Quickly brushing his teeth he moved onto his hair. He tried to make it presentable but as always it jumped back to its usual messy spikes. What was Naruto’s main issue though was the still noticeable bruise on his face. This time he didn’t have Sakura to cover it up for him.

Naruto felt his vulnerability crawl up him the longer he stared at it. There was nothing he could do though, he was going to have to go to breakfast, mark and all. He looked down that the sink and gripped it tightly. He was angry at himself. He was letting Nagato’s actions cause him to be ashamed of himself and it was wrong. He wasn’t at fault here, the bruise on his face and the matching one on his arm showed that. He could not control Nagato’s actions and he should not feel that blame for them either.

“Are you alright in there?” Kakashi called out. Naruto took a deep breath in a put a smile on his face. Even though it looked broken and forced to him it was better than nothing. He made his way out of the bathroom and gave Kakashi a light nod. “Alright, follow me”

…………………………

The first thing that Naruto noticed of the kitchen was the smell. It made his nostrils flare and his mouth water. Never had he smelt some many deliciously intertwining smells in his life. His eyes followed the smell and they widened when they landed on the table. Laid out in front of him was numerous amounts of dishes. Pancakes sat next to waffles, Sausages next bacon and fried eggs. Plates of fruits and sauces were scattered around and Naruto felt like he had walked into breakfast heaven.

“I didn’t know what you liked so I sort of made whatever I could think of” Sasuke looked up from his seat at the table, folding a newspaper in his lap. An amused smirk crossed his features when he saw Naruto’s glazed expression.

“Y-you made all of this?” Sasuke got up and pulled out a seat across from him for Naruto to sit in. Naruto quickly clambered over, his mind trying to decided what to eat first.

“Just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I like servants to do all the work” Sasuke shot back teasingly. Naruto felt a blush creep up his cheeks, he hadn’t meant to insult his host. He was just honestly shocked at the quantity of food there was. “What are you waiting for Teme?”

“Oh, sorry! Thank you for the food!” Naruto bowed his head in appreciation and pilled food on to his plate. He ignored the expression Sasuke made as when he lathered it all in sweet golden syrup. “You’re not eating?”

“I’m not that big on sugar or fat” Naruto shrugged. In his mind it was Sasuke’s loss. He eyed the man’s small bowl of fruit and yoghurt with curiosity though as he shovelled food into his mouth. Naruto could never live on such foods. He loved greasy food that made you regret eating it. You would never know by looking at him though. The blonde man was extremely toned for being a bottomless food pit.

The two sat in silence while they ate. Surprisingly Naruto felt it was comfortable, almost like the two had come to an agreement to not talk. Once they plates had been cleared though Sasuke turned his attention to him and Naruto felt like slinking away. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to answer any questions, especially from someone he barely knew.

“Naruto…” Sasuke looked just as nervous as he did. “If you ever need to talk…”

“It’s okay Sasuke. I don’t…I mean…I’m not ready to talk. This is all so fresh and I think I just need time to…process it all” Naruto flinched as Sasuke reached over and laid a hand on his bruise, his onyx eyes fluctuating through a number of emotions.

“I understand” Naruto let out his breath when Sasuke removed his hand and dropped the conversation. Once again he was grateful how quickly the man picked up on his reservations about talking.

“Thank you…” he shuffled in his seat uncomfortably. “Thank you for giving me a place to stay last night”

“Don’t thank me, thank Itachi” Naruto felt his face drop, a part of him was hoping that it had been Sasuke’s idea. “Do you have anywhere to go? You can stay here for as long as you like”

“Oh…I’m going to stay with my friend Sakura while I find a place. I should have enough money from my job to get me by”

…………………………………….

Sasuke was disappointed when Naruto rejected his offer. He had really hoped the man would stay so he could spend more time with him. Right now things were awkward between them but that was due to the circumstances surrounding the situation but if the blonde man had stayed longer Sasuke was certain he could bring a smile back to his face. He had attempted to this morning by cooking breakfast. Sasuke did feel like he over did it in that department at first but the second he saw Naruto begin to eat he was happy he had made so much.

“The offer will always be there, I’m sure Itachi wouldn’t mind as it would give him the opportunity to talk about the shelter with you” Sasuke wanted to hit himself in the head. Here was a man looking fragile and slightly broken and instead of being comforting he was making it sound all about business.

“I’ll remember that” The two men stared at each other, both unsure what to say. There was an elephant in the room and Sasuke would not be the one to approach that subject. Besides why would Naruto trust Sasuke, they had only just met really and to ask the man to open up about something so personal would be an stupid move.

“Can I just say something?” the way Naruto looked up at him fearfully made Sasuke want to pulverise Nagato into the ground. “That man…he is an idiot and he didn’t deserve you” Naruto averted his gaze and Sasuke wanted to pull at his hair. He felt so stupid, it was such a dumb thing to say.

“He wasn’t always this way or maybe he was and I just didn’t see it until now. But…your right, I do deserve better” Naruto lifted his head up and Sasuke felt his breath hitch in his throat. Naruto’s smile was wide and real. Not like the fake ones he had sent him every now and then. It was a smile that radiated the warmth of the sun, one that could thaw the coldest of hearts. “This may be weird but…can you read my messages for me?” Naruto held out his phone. “I don’t feel like I have the strength to look at them so will you read them and delete the worst ones for me?”

“Are you sure? I mean, isn’t that some sort of invasion of privacy?” Naruto shrugged and Sasuke took the phone into his hands gingerly.

“If you don’t want to its okay…I just don’t want to read anything I don’t have to...” there it was again, that fear in Naruto’s eyes and it made Sasuke agree in a second. If he could protect Naruto from any unnecessary harm he would “Ignore the one’s from Sakura and Gaara, I’ll look at them later”

“Want to watch a movie while I do this then? It would be a bit more comfortable” Naruto nodded and Sasuke led him towards their theatre room. It was an indulgence on Sasuke’s part when he was a child and over the years he found the room to be a sort of sanctuary for him. “Pick whatever you want”

“I’m so pissed right now” Sasuke raised an eyebrow and he watched Naruto gape at the room. “How come I never thought of making a room like this? Seriously this is amazing” he watched as Naruto made his way towards the wall of Blu-ray disks and felt Naruto’s phone buzz in his hand. “I don’t believe it! You have the crow!”

“Cult classic, how could I not?” Sasuke smirked. Naruto put the disk in and settled himself into one of the leather theatre seats at the back. Sasuke sat next to him and handed Naruto the phone back quickly. “You need to unlock it…”

“Oh, yeah…” Naruto slowly put the pin code in and Sasuke took hold of the phone again. He clicked on the message icon and immediately cringed. Naruto’s inbox was full, granted there was quite a few from his two friend but the majority was from Nagato.

Sasuke began to slowly flick through the messages, one at a time. They started off angry, obviously sent right after Naruto leaving. Some threats, others accusing Naruto of ruining the man’s future career. Sasuke decided it was best to leave the ones with clear threats and delete the rest. Yes it would be hard for Naruto to see them but he could also use them as evidence if the need arose. Time flicked on and the messages gradually changed, fluctuating over a range of emotions. Eventually it evened out to pathetic pleading, begging for Naruto to forgive him.

Sasuke looked over to Naruto who was completely engrossed in the movie and he wondered if Naruto would be okay with him deleting these ones. They weren’t offensive but they also had the potential to make Naruto doubt his decision. Sasuke felt uneasy. He knew if he deleted them there would be a part of him that would be doing it for his own personal gain.

“Naruto…” he grimaced when those blue eyes pierced into his. “There are some messages I’m not sure I should get rid of...”

“If it’s ones of him apologising delete them. I made the right decision and I won’t go back on that” Sasuke nodded, his finger hovering over the trash button. “It’s okay Sasuke”

“Done” he watched as the progress bar popped up, slowly colouring in as it went through all the messages Sasuke had ticked for deletion. “I’ve kept the ones that threaten you physical harm…I know it’s a bit rough but they may come in handy later. I’ve put them in a separate folder so you don’t accidentally click on them”

“Thank you, I know it was a bit strange me asking you to do this for me but if I’m honest I’m barely holding myself together right now. I don’t want to deal with anything I shouldn’t have to and I know if those messages were left on my phone I would read them and I know I shouldn’t” Sasuke gave him an understanding nod and Naruto took back the phone. The two of them feel back into a comfortable silence as the world around them slipped away and they focused on the screen in front of them.

……………………

Nagato threw his phone across his office causing it to smash against the wall. He had been messaging Naruto all night and not once had he replied. He was beyond frustrated. Not only had the man walked out on him he had potentially taken his whole career with him. Nagato was about to start his campaign and what the city saw as a crucial support system for the man was gone. Not only that though; the anti-same sexed marriage crazies would jump on it within seconds. Nagato pulled at his hair as he envisioned his dreams slipping away from him.

“Calm down Nagato, we can fix this” Orochimaru stated, flicking through the rather extensive divorce papers. “It seems Naruto is only interested in getting out what he put in, for example the money he put into this house”

“That’s not the issue! The issue is without Naruto my campaign will flop!” Orochimaru put the papers down and placed his hands in his lap, a bored expression on his face.

“Everyone has their price Nagato…” he stopped pacing and quirked his head to the side. “Figure out what you can use to your advantage…”

“What are you implying Orochimaru?” the man had always reminded Nagato of a snake. It made a part of him disgusted to even have anything to do with him. He was untrustworthy and manipulative but Nagato needed him; he was brilliant.

“From what you have told me Naruto isn’t going to come back without some initiative…even if it is just for publicity. But if you found something that he would give everything up for then maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement with him, convince him to put off this divorce until you are in office”

“Isn’t that blackmail?” it didn’t sit right with Nagato. There was something in him screaming to just sign the papers and let Naruto move on. He had done enough damage. But the majority of him was interested. His goals were far more important than Naruto and he’d be damned if he let his husband embarrass him even further.

“Call it a win win situation. You get put in office and Naruto will get whatever he agrees to” Orochimaru stood up, placing the papers into his bag. “I’ll look over these further tonight”

“The shelter…” a cruel smile flicked across Orochimaru’s face and Nagato stared back at him with a determined look on his face. “If there is anything in this world that Naruto would give anything up for it’s the youth shelter”

“I can work with that”

………………………………………………


	7. Heart on his sleeve

Naruto sat next to Gaara in a circular meeting room, his hands in his lap and thumbs twiddling together. He felt like he wanted to vomit. It was the first time he would see Nagato again since dropping off the divorce papers. Gaara had been surprised how quickly Orochimaru had requested a meeting and had become wary, causing him to insist the meeting was held at his firm’s office. Naruto hadn’t expected a meeting at all, especially not a week later.

Naruto had spent the time with Sakura when he wasn’t at work or the shelter, which had been quite a bit of time. Sakura was the shelters medical physician and she had insisted Naruto cut back his hours. He had reluctantly agreed with her. Naruto had felt far too fragile and the people he supported needed to see him strong, not the mess he was currently. He almost felt like a cracked sheet of glass, one bit of pressure and he would smash to the floor.

“Just let me do the talking Naruto and don’t directly engage with him” Naruto nodded and kept his eyes on the floor. He had found himself wishing Sasuke was with him. Ever since he had left the Uchiha mansion he had felt an urge to take Sasuke up on his offer. He had felt safe and strong around Sasuke. Naruto had refrained from getting in contact with him though. He didn’t want to burden Sasuke anymore then he had.

“Something isn’t right Gaara” Naruto whispered. He could feel it deep down in his gut there was something very wrong with all of this. Gaara grasped his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Hey, you’ve got me backing you up. We have this” The door creaked open and Naruto paled at the sight of his soon to be, well he hoped soon to be ex-husband. Orochimaru and Gaara exchanged a head nod, indicating they acknowledge each other on a professional level. “Orochimaru…Mr Gakure”

“Gaara…we’ve asked for this meeting to present an arrangement between my client and Mr Uzumaki” Orochimaru stated as he sat down, Nagato on his right and opposite the shaking blonde.

“There is no negotiation, we have presented you with our terms and that is final” Naruto refused to look across the table but he could sense the confidence rolling off the other two men.

“We are not here to negotiate the terms, in fact due to Mr Uzumaki only perusing the investments he contributed to everything is pretty clear cut” Orochimaru took out a stack of papers and put them in front of him.

“As I said we have a proposition…to do with the youth shelter” Naruto’s head shot up and his eyes widened is disbelief.

“You bastard! How dare you bring the shelter into this!” Gaara placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder to calm him down and steeled his eyes onto Orochimaru.

“This arrangement can benefit both parties. You see, the damage of this divorce is extreme when it comes to my clients career prospects so all we are asking is a postponement and in return Nagato will put the shelter under a trust when he enters office. This trust will be put in the name of who Naruto sees fit to oversee it” Naruto froze in his seat. As it was the government technically owned the building and the land the shelter was on. If it was put into a trust it would prevent any sale of the land unless authorised by the person with the trust’s authority.

“We are offering a simple divorce, one that reduces any damage to Mr Gakure’s political standings, as it is Naruto has very little involvement with that part of Mr Gakure’s life, the effects would be minimal” Naruto had zoned out, he could hear Gaara talking but his mind was spinning.

“I believe the damage would be significant. Naruto is seen as a key support person, combined with Naruto’s charitable activities the loss of that could lose a substantial amount of votes. Also this isn’t an ordinary divorce due to our client’s sexual orientation, the opposition can use that as fuel to create a slur campaign” Gaara went to speak but Naruto quickly cut him off. Orochimaru was right and even though he had begun to despise Nagato it was a good offer. He could guarantee the future of the shelter and Nagato could achieve what he had been working towards most of his life.

“What do you want in return?” Naruto questioned. He felt Gaara narrow his eyes at him taking the bait but he didn’t care. “What are the terms of this arrangement?”

“For publicity purposes you will maintain the image of being married to my client. Attend banquets, rallies or any event you are needed at to show support” Orochimaru stated, flicking over the paperwork in front of him.

“I won’t live with him” he saw Nagato’s fist’s clench and shrunk back. He knew he was putting himself at risk even being in the same room as Nagato.

“You won’t have to, as I stated it is purely for show” Naruto leant back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He looked towards Gaara who had his lips in a firm line and eyes holding a glare that even Naruto was scared of.

“And if my client doesn’t agree to this?” Gaara spat out. It was obvious they had them in a corner. Not because there wasn’t any way out but because Naruto would never turn down a deal that involved the shelter. Orochimaru had played his cards well.

“Let’s just say the land could be worth a lot of money…metaphorically of course it wouldn’t be too hard to suggest the sale of it” Orochimaru slid a piece of paper into the middle of the table and Naruto quickly snatched it. He knew they would make good on their threat and he wouldn’t let his personal issues put the future of so many in jeopardy.

“Naruto, let me read over it first” Gaara went to take the contact but Naruto quickly scrawled his signature down. “Naruto!”

“I don’t care Gaara, it’s only a year and there will be people around at all times” he threw the paper back at Nagato and their eyes locked together. Naruto’s in disgust and the red head’s in triumph. Naruto questioned how he had ever loved such an under handed man.

“There is a clause in there about dating, after all it wouldn’t look good for appearances if you were seen with another man…” Naruto bit his lip. It’s not like he had even thought about dating but a part of him had hoped that maybe something would happen between him and a certain onyx eyed man. There was no harm in being friends though, after all Sasuke and Itachi were possibly going to become the shelters benefactors.

“That’s fine…” a pained look fluttered across Gaara’s face as he replied. It wasn’t like he could change the clause after Naruto had hastily signed the agreement.

“Well now that’s settled we have other business to attend to. We will be in touch with a list of events you will be expected to be at. Good day to you both” Orochimaru stood up and waited for Nagato to do the same.

“Do you want something?” Naruto spat out at him. He had never been so angry in his life. Not only had he walked straight into their trap but he had agreed to it without thinking it over first. Nagato would have known he would let his emotions make his decision for him and cloud his judgement.

“Sasuke Uchiha, stay away from him” Naruto stood up angrily, flinging his chair backwards as he leant forward towards the calm red head.

“I have agreed not to date you manipulative asshole but don’t you dare think for a second you control any other part of my life” Gaara quickly pulled Naruto backwards.

“Get out of here before I call security” he spat out, standing in front of his enraged friend in a protective manor. “You’ve won this round Orochimaru but don’t think for a second I won’t find a way to reverse this”

“Try all you like brat” the two agitating men left the room quickly and Naruto felt his legs go weak. Gaara caught him effortlessly and grabbed him a drink of water after sitting him in a chair.

“I’m an idiot” Naruto breathed out and put his head in his hands. He hated how he played so easily into Nagato’s games. He had let himself be so predictable that he had given up everything again without even thinking twice about it. Naruto knew it was the right thing, the shelter came first but he could have at least let Gaara negotiate. Who knew what other little clause’s Nagato had put in to keep him on a leash.

“Yes you are but your and idiot with a good heart” Gaara gave him a weak smile. “I’ll figure something out Naruto, I won’t let those men use you as a puppet”

“But what about the shelter?” Gaara grabbed Naruto’s hands into his.

“Listen to me Naruto. I will find a way to make all of this work. I will keep the shelter safe and I will ensure you have control over your life again but I need to look over this contract properly to find out the full extent of what you have agreed to” Naruto numbly nodded and pulled out his phone.

“You interested in BBQ tonight?” Gaara shook his head but smiled slightly.

“No, I need to read over this bullshit agreement but say hi to everyone for me” Gaara moved to collect his things and the copy of the agreement Orochimaru had left behind for him. “Naruto, try have a good night”

“I will. It’s not all bad really, he’s agreed to a divorce so all I have to do is survive the year of boring political parties”

……………………………………………….

“Sakura!” Naruto bellowed out as he rubbed the back of his head. The small statured woman stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and a disappointed frown on her lipstick covered lips. Naruto was sure he could feel a lump forming from where she had wacked him. He didn’t blame her though, in fact he was expecting it.

“You’re an idiot Naruto!” she glared out. “You got out, you had done it and now look, you’ve played right into his hands. He messed with your head with those stupid games of his and now you’ve given him a chance to dictate your life through a stupid piece of paper!”

“Don’t you think I know that Sakura! I feel stupid enough as it is without you lecturing me” Sakura grabbed him, quickly pulling him into an engulfing hug. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers.

“I know you’re doing it for the right reason Naruto, it would be amazing if we could secure the shelter under the protection of a trust…that man he’s just so frustrating!” Naruto placed a light kiss on her forehead and gave her his bright smile. He didn’t want her to worry. If all he had to do was turn up to snooty events and pretend to be a doting husband it was worth that security. It wouldn’t be to hard either considering he had spent most of his marriage doing just that. “Tonight had been fun though”

“Yeah it was, I’ve missed everyone” Naruto and Sakura had spent the evening with Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Hinata, Shino and Kiba. The group had been childhood friends since they started school and had been inseparable ever since, even if Naruto did play the odd prank on them. Even though they all volunteered together at the shelter Naruto had barely spent any time with them outside of it. Nagato had always insisted he spent his spare time with him at home and until now Naruto didn’t realise how much he had missed them all.

“They were worried you know…everyone’s been worried” Sakura made her way over to the kitchen and began to pull out a small kettle. “We always hope you would see things the way we did”

“Sakura…please, I don’t want to talk about this” he flopped down onto the woman’s couch and put his feet up onto the coffee table. “This is…hard for me. I’ve always been the independent one, the one who could hold his own ground and look after himself. Lately…I haven’t felt like that person. I feel weak. I need time to heal from this before I can talk about it because right now I feel like I’m barely keeping it together”

“Naruto…Move in with me” her tone was decisive and it caused Naruto to let out a small chuckle. “Not in here of course. Let’s find a bigger place. You need somewhere to live and splitting the cost we can afford a nice place”

“Sakura, I’m not sure that’s a good idea” she placed a cup of tea in front of him and gave him a look that said she had already made up her mind.

“Look, you need someone to look after you right now whether you like it or not. You’re a mess and you’ve put yourself in a vulnerable positon. I know you want to do this on your own but the reality is you can’t so suck it up and take the help offered to you” Naruto found himself trying to escape into the back of the couch. It was obvious Sakura had been spending way too much time around Tsunade. “I want out of this crummy apartment and you need somewhere to live”

“You promise you won’t smother me to death with your mothering?” he replied cheekily back, earning him another whack to the head.

“Nope, I’ll be the one knocking some sense into you” she sat down on the couch next to him and tucked her legs under her.

“Alright, let’s give it a go” his eyes lit up, the crystal blues swirling with happiness and excitement.

“Don’t expect me to do your washing by the way and warn me if you are bringing company home” Naruto choked on his drink, causing him to splutter.

“Sakura! I just left my husband I’m in no rush to find someone…even if I could I don’t think I would want to” Sakura gave him a knowing look and picked up a magazine off the table.

“Not even if that person was Sasuke Uchiha?” she smirked. Naruto felt his cheeks heat up and he concentrated swirling the tea in his hands around. “You like him!”

“He’s…nice” he replied glancing at the cover she held up. Sasuke was on the front, posing awkwardly in a custom ordered suit. The expression on his face was one that Naruto could only associate to boredom but he couldn’t help study every detail of his face. There was a slight hint of Photoshop but overall it looked barely touched up. 

“You do! You are totally into Sasuke!” Naruto shook his head but didn’t say anything to tell her otherwise. She was right, he did feel an attraction towards him.

“It doesn’t matter, no dating remember” he moved quickly, avoiding her hand that had flung towards him.

“Naruto Uzumaki, you will not let some flimsy piece of paper stop you from dating. If I’m not correct, which I am by the way, it says you cannot date in _public”_ Naruto groaned, of course Sakura would find some wriggle room round that clause. She was right but Naruto couldn’t see Sasuke as the relationship hiding type.

“I’ll think about it” he finished the rest of the tea and offered her a hand up. “Now get off my bed, I ate way too much and I feel a food coma coming on”

“Alright, alright no need to get bossy. I’ll wake you up bright and early so we can go apartment hunting” she threw a few blankets at him and left the room, leaving him to make the couch into a makeshift bed. His mind wandered to what Sakura had said. Was he really prepared to let Nagato stop him from moving on? If someone really wanted to be with him and he was honest surely they would understand the situation. It’s not like Naruto was opposed to the idea of dating, well he was but if a person worth his time came along why should he let his past dictate that for him.


	8. New apartment

The apartment Naruto and Sakura had walked into wasn’t small but it wasn’t big either. It was cosy though. The kitchen was small but the living room was a pretty reasonable size that could fit Sakura’s lounge furniture and dining table in with room to spare. The bedrooms were partially furnished which Naruto was thankful for considering he only had his suitcase to bring with him and he would rather not try to convince Nagato to hand over a spare bed from his old house. There were two bathrooms, one connected to the lounge and the other, slightly smaller one attached to one of the rooms. The walls were a light cream colour with wooden trimmings around the window and the floors matching. Naruto could appreciate a wooden floor because in his mind they were far easier to clean.

“This is it, this is the one Naruto!” Sakura squealed as she poked her head behind each door. “And the price is pretty reasonable to!”

“Are you sure about this Sakura? I mean, this place is the best one we’ve seen but if you’re not one hundred percent sure then we can keep looking” Naruto agreed with Sakura though. The price was just above what they wanted to pay but he didn’t think they would find any better. It was close to the hospital where Sakura worked and was only a ten minute walk to the shelter. Naruto would still have to drive to get to his job but he was use to that anyway. What stood out most to Naruto though was the security of the complex the apartment was in. It had a code at the front door and one for the garage; along with this there were camera’s set up that had a guard watching over at the front desk. Right now Naruto felt he would be happy with anything as long as he could feel safe.

“Yes! This place is perfect, as long as I get the bedroom with the bathroom” she sent him a side glance to judge his reaction. Of course she would want that bedroom.

“There’s more sun in the other room which suits me” he smiled back. Even if he did want the room with the bathroom he wasn’t prepared to fight Sakura over it. He had spent the past few weeks taking note of how long she hogged the bathroom at her old apartment and the clutter was like a bomb filled with beauty products had exploded. Compared to that all Naruto had was a comb, tooth brush and a bit of soap for the shower.

“Then it’s settled!” she clapped her hands and bounced over to the real estate agent that had let them in to inspect the place. Naruto took this time to look around properly and felt a calmness wash over him. He had missed living in places like this, it helped ground him and remember his roots. Flashy mansions filled with expensive furniture and art had always made him feel out of place and uncomfortable but here, in a place like this he knew he would be able to relax and rebuild his life. “Naruto! You need to come sign”

“So the bond is two weeks rent and another two weeks in advance and you both will be locked into a six month contract that will be possible to renew for a longer period If you see fit” the agent smiled at them, relief sketched onto the exhausted man’s face. Naruto didn’t blame him for he felt the same way. They had seen at least ten other properties today and he was starting to feel nothing would meet Sakura’s expectations.

“Are you okay with that?” Sakura asked warily as Naruto scrawled down his mark on the contract. He nodded quickly, sure it would take up his savings but he did have a steady income coming in to cover every cost after that. Gaara had also made sure that Naruto created a new bank account under his name and switch his salary payments to be paid into it as Gaara feared Nagato would cut off Naruto’s access to their joint account. He had been right, Naruto had tried to make a withdrawal a few days ago and was told his card had been frozen. Thankfully he had managed to take out his savings and transfer it before that had happened.

“When do you to think you will be able to move in? As you can see the previous tenants have already left so it is available to be occupied right away” Naruto decided to leave that decision up to Sakura since it would be mostly her belongings that they would need to move.

“Next weekend, we work during the week so that’s the only free time we will have and it gives me time to sort out a moving truck” The agent nodded and handed them their copy of the contract.

“That should be no problem, come down to the office during the week to pick up the keys” they followed the man out of the building and thanked him one last time before making their way to Gaara’s. He had rung in the morning saying that he had gone over the agreement Naruto had signed and needed to discuss it with him. Sakura had instead that she would come with him.

“Should we pick up dinner on the way? I know it’s a bit early but I’m starving!” Naruto gave her a weak smile. He didn’t particularly feel hungry, which was a new experience for him but he was nervous.

“Let’s just order in, I’m sure Gaara won’t mind” They sat in silence, Naruto driving and Sakura looking at the buildings going by.

………………………………..

Gaara lived in a relatively upmarket area in town. It suited him though Naruto thought. It was an area where men of business such as lawyers resided, almost like a bachelor situation but without the influx of girls. The people who lived in the area were workaholics and Gaara’s place represented that. It was a clean apartment but case files we splayed out over most flat surfaces to make up for the slight emptiness of the place. When Gaara opened the door Naruto noted how tired he looked.

“You didn’t stay up all night working on this did you?” he frowned, inspecting the bags under his friend’s eyes. It wasn’t unusual to see the dark sacks but Naruto hated to think they were their because of him.

“No, I’ve just got a lot of cases going on at the moment and trying to keep up with them all is taking a toll on me” They sat down at the breakfast bar which was the only surface not covered in paper and Gaara poured each of them a drink. “How’s work at the hospital Sakura? Temari said it’s been quite hectic”

“It’s alright, the weather has been causing a higher intake but were managing” Temari was Gaara’s older sister. She was a hard arse that made sure to keep her family in line and also the hospital’s head physiotherapist.

“Good, I’ve order some food for us, I hope you guys don’t mind but I haven’t eaten all day” Gaara sat down next to them and hunched his shoulders forwards in a relaxed manor.

“Neither have we, somebody…spent the entire day dragging me around apartments without a break” Sakura poked her tongue out at the cheeky blonde. “Let’s get this bullshit out of the way first though, I’d rather not let it ruin dinner”

“Ah, yes…” Gaara shifted uncomfortably and Naruto felt his body stiffen. “It’s not exactly…bad”

“Just spit it out” Sakura growled, her mood changing in an instance.

“Well it’s pretty straight forward” Gaara reached over the counter and grabbed the intrusive agreement. “The first few clauses basically just state that Naruto will attend events that prick sees as important and that he is expected to be there on time and dressed appropriately but there are two parts that make me…worried”

“Is it the dating clause?” Sakura questioned “Because I’ve already found a way around that”

“Trust you to find a way Sakura. It’s the repercussions that I’m worried about though. It states that if Naruto enters into any relations that he must accept all responsibility and the agreement will be forfeited” Naruto was confused, he had already assumed that would be the case. If you made an agreement and broke the rules then of course that agreement would be broken. “It’s basically saying that publicly you will accept the failure of your marriage and hold all blame…it leaves Nagato as the good guy and you’ll be hung out to dry”

“I guess that makes sense, I mean they just want Nagato to have a good image right? so taking the sympathetic route works in their favour…” To say it made Naruto uncomfortable was an understatement. He knew he was right for leaving Nagato, the man had mentally and physically abused him but placing the blame on him in the public eye for infidelity didn’t sit right to him. He felt like it was sweeping the real issue aside when he was supposed to be someone who stood up against violence. If he shouldered the blame he was agreeing to be a part of a culture of victim blaming and that went against his personal and professional morals.

“That’s not all” Gaara handed a page to Naruto and he pointed to the middle of it. Naruto skim read it and his face fell. “By signing this you’ve agree to be seen in public with him outside events to avoid suspicion towards your marriage”

“I can’t…” Naruto didn’t think he could cope being alone with his husband. Sure put him in a room full of people that he could easily use to keep a distance between them and he would be fine. To have to be alone with him, even if it was in public made his hands feel clammy with fear.

“You don’t have to do this Naruto, you still have a choice” Sakura grabbed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. “Everyone will understand, we will find a way to buy the shelter ourselves”

“If we buy the shelter it was be considered privately owned…our government funding will be cut” Naruto wanted to regret his decision but if he was honest with himself he didn’t. He knew what was important and for the sake of children the shelter was helping or could help in the future he would endure the agreement. He would just have to make sure Nagato understood he wasn’t going to be pushed around. “Let’s not talk about this anymore, Sakura and I have signed the lease on a new apartment so let’s spend the night celebrating!”

…………………………….


	9. Date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N. Hello! I am so sorry this has taken me so long! I’ve been really busy with uni atm so I haven’t had time between assignments to work on anything else! Forgive me! Anyway here is a little bit of fluff! I’ll do my best to try update quicker but I can’t promise anything as I’m about to start placement!

Sasuke found himself checking his phone more than usual lately. He had expected Naruto to call him but it seemed the man of his affections had forgotten they had made plans. It was understandable that Naruto had skipped out on the Friday dinner they had planned but he thought he would have at least called to reschedule. Itachi looked up at him from behind the folder he was holding and Sasuke made his token ‘tch’ sound at him.

“Just call the man already Otouto” Itachi made it sound like it was so simple. Sasuke was an Uchiha, he did not call first. Yes he was pursuing the man but Naruto cancelled the first date so he should be the one to reach out. He sighed in frustration. It wasn’t a date, well Naruto was under the assumption it wasn’t. Itachi had already sent off the paperwork to their lawyers to sign on as benefactors but Naruto didn’t need to know that just yet. “If you don’t call him then I will”

“Nii-san!” the last thing he wanted was Itachi to find out he had set up a ‘business’ meeting. He would probably scold him for tricking Naruto into a date like situation.

“Then stop acting like a nervous teenage and dial” the way Itachi was watching him made him realise his brother wasn’t bluffing and he quickly searched his contacts. He hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and calming his jitters. Sasuke’s heart began to beat heavily in his chest as he waited for the line to connect.

 _“Sasuke?”_ Naruto sounded surprised at his call. Did he not remember at all?

“Dobe, you forgot about our dinner” there was a paused as he waited for Naruto to remember what he was referring to. “I’m ringing to ask you out to dinner tonight”

 _“Oh shit! I’m so sorry, everything has been so crazy it completely slipped my mind!”_ Sasuke went to reply but Naruto cut him off. _“Why didn’t you call me and remind me Teme!”_

“Tch, I’m not your babysitter dobe” he had a smirk on his face as he enjoyed the banter between them. It had been like this the day after Naruto had stayed with them and he was happy to hear that it wasn’t a one off thing.

“ _I can do tonight, where do you want to meet?”_ Sasuke hadn’t thought that far ahead with Itachi putting him on the spot before. _“You’re welcome to come here. Sakura has the night shift tonight so it’s just me, I can’t promise you or Itachi anything for dinner other than a few take out menu’s to choose from”_

“Your place sounds…” he stopped, the idea of being alone with Naruto in his apartment made his brain run wild with not so innocent thoughts.

 _“What? To under class for your tastes Teme?”_ the blonde teased through the phone. Sasuke held back a low groan. Naruto teasing him wasn’t helping tame the images his imagination was creating.

“Send me the address, Dobe” he disconnected before Naruto could say anymore. His eyes were slightly hooded and pupils expanded.

“I don’t have to tell you again to tread carefully with Naruto do I?” Itachi closed the folder and placed it on the table, he crossed his leg over the other and gave Sasuke a stern glance. “You’re playing with fire here Otouto, I would hate for either of you to get burnt”

“Yes Nii-san, I know” Sasuke glared back in a childlike manor. He hated when his brother went all high a mighty, know it all on him. “I am well aware of the situation”

“I like Naruto, he has a good heart and I think he’d be good for you…” Itachi seemed almost awkward. Sasuke and Itachi were close but the younger Uchiha always tried to keep Itachi at a distance when it came to his relationships. The reason being Sasuke grew bored quickly and Itachi just wanted to see his brother meet someone worth settling down with.

“Naruto’s…different” Sasuke couldn’t put his finger on what it was that made him so interested in the playful blonde. In a matter of weeks he had stirred up more emotion in him than any previous relationship, even when he was with Neji had he not felt this attached.

“I’m having dinner with Deidara tonight, if you need me I have my cell phone” Sasuke nodded and Itachi gave him a small smile before standing up. Deidara had been Itachi’s long term boyfriend for the past three years. Sasuke was amazed how the two had managed to keep their relationship so low profile, he even doubted that the press knew about it. Itachi was reserved but Deidara? He was an extravagant artist with a spirited mouth on him. As annoying as the blonde, ponytailed man was Sasuke liked him, he made his brother happy and to him that’s all that mattered.

“Say hello for me and tell him stop sending me those ridiculous videos!” Itachi chuckled. Deidara had taken it upon himself to try cheer Sasuke up by sending him video after video of ridiculous cat videos. Sasuke wondered if he was trying to torture him and had told the man numerous time’s he did not need cheering up.

“Smile more around him and he’ll stop” Itachi jabbed Sasuke on the forehead and quickly departed. Sasuke couldn’t remember when Itachi had started doing that little habit but it had come to an understanding between them that it was Itachi’s way of telling Sasuke that he loved him. Sasuke took the spot where Itachi had previously been sitting and picked up the file he had left behind. His forehead creased when he opened it. It seemed Itachi was having their cousin Obito followed.

Obito had never been close with them, their two families had struggled for leadership of the clan and Obito’s family had lost. They had left the city after that, too ashamed to live amongst the rest of the Uchiha families. It was a tight nit community but that was only due to the tragedy that seemed to have cursed the Uchiha name. Once Itachi’s and Sasuke’s parents had passed away the clan had decided to become more of a community and keep a low profile, resulting in the two brother’s to break away and build up their company. They still had ties to the small community and supported it but they refused to take over leadership; too much bloodshed had come from the struggle so it was better it was community driven rather than the decisions being made by one family.

Sasuke flicked over the file, reading the details carefully. If Obito was back it meant Madara wasn’t far behind which meant trouble. Madara had once been the leader of the Uchiha clan but he had been power hungry and was eventually ostracised from the community for his radical ways. Every now and then the man popped up and when he did he usually caused a lot of chaos. If Itachi was having Obito followed it meant he was worried that the two men were planning something. It would explain why his brother was more concerned for him than usual.

Sasuke looked at his watch and sighed, he had time to do a bit of digging before he made his way to Naruto’s. He pulled out his phone and flicked down to a number he had used on many occasions. Jugo was a man he trusted with his life and if Sasuke needed information Jugo would go above and beyond to find it.

…………………………

Naruto looked down at the table nervously. He was never one for cooking, sure he knew a few basics but that’s as far as it went. Currently his table was covered in an assortment of foods. Yes he went over board and had opted to order from a few places as he had no clue what the two Uchiha brother’s liked. He had ordered from a nice Italian place that Sakura had suggested and opted for a simple fettuccini and a small chicken, cranberry and Bree pizza. Naruto had also ordered from a Sushi restaurant just in case they were wanting something healthier alongside with an order of dumplings, jam bean buns and some ramen; Naruto could never say no to ramen. It was far too much for three men but at least Naruto would have left over’s to nibble on when he felt hungry.

Naruto jumped at the knock on the door, surprised at how quick the time had flown. If Naruto was honest with himself he wanted to thank Sasuke and Itachi for their hospitality the other week. He had been feeling bad about having little contact with them but he wasn’t sure how to face them after signing that damn agreement with Nagato. His stomach dropped at the thought of it. Would they be disappointed in him? Naruto opened the door and went to great them but found only Sasuke standing there with a bottle of Sake in his hand.

“Sorry, Itachi got caught up…I hope you don’t mind” Naruto raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Sasuke didn’t have anything with him except for the Sake and he had been expecting him to bring paper work.

“You’ve set me up haven’t you Teme” He questioned. Sasuke raised his hands, a broad smile creeping up on his face.

“You’re not as dumb as you look Dobe” Naruto sighed and stood off to the side so Sasuke could enter the apartment. “You’re not mad with me are you?”

“Mad? No, irritated…yes. I wouldn’t have brought so much food if I had known it was just going to be us” Naruto watched Sasuke inspect the food he had brought, his stomach churning as he waited for approval of it.

“Not bad Dobe, although ramen?” Naruto pouted and snatched the bottle of sake off of Sasuke and went into the kitchen to grab two sake cups. Sasuke smirked at him. “Your favourite I assume?”

“Yes, it is” Naruto handed Sasuke the small cup and they made a clinking sound with them before taking a sip. “So…what is this? Your sneaky way of getting me on a date?”

“Could be if you want it to be Dobe” Naruto pulled out a chair and sat down, watching Sasuke carefully. He wanted this to be a date if he was honest with himself but the agreement was niggling at him. Sakura was right though, he could always tell Sasuke about the agreement and see what his reaction would be.

“Sasuke…I sort of…signed something” Sasuke began to grab some food but kept an eye on Naruto, encouraging him to continue. “It’s an agreement and it…it say’s I’m not allowed to date….”

“What kind of bullshit agreement is that Dobe?” Sasuke frowned and Naruto squirmed in his seat.

“Well you see, Nagato sort of threatened the shelter so I kind of signed an agreement. Until his campaign is over I play the part of the dutiful husband in public and in return he puts the shelter into a trust” Sasuke frowned, clearly annoyed at what Naruto had done.

“You do realise Itachi has signed Sharingan Industries as the benefactor for the shelter, we could easily buy it if we needed to” Naruto sighed and shook his head. He knew he should have gone to them first but even then he doubted they could have done anything.

“In a trust the government could still subsides the shelter…it’s only until his campaign is over...if you wanted we could always try this dating thing after?” Naruto doubted that Sasuke would wait for him, he didn’t seem like a patient man and there were plenty of other men out there that Sasuke could date.

“So…You signed an agreement stating that you will play husband in public and I’m assuming it has some bullshit dating clause in it that Nagato threw in to keep you under his control?” Naruto nodded, feeling ashamed of his rash decision. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to do this dating thing out of public eye then”

“But…” Sasuke shrugged and Naruto gapped at how calm he was about it all.

“My brother and Dei can do it so it can’t be too hard? I mean, technically we have a reason to be seen with each other because of the shelter so it’s not like it’s suspicious and if Nagato can’t prove that we’ve started dating then he has no ground to revoke the agreement” Naruto remained quiet and grabbed a bowl of ramen. He needed to think over what Sasuke was proposing. He wasn’t wrong but could Naruto really be that selfish? Could he put everything at risk just to start something that might not work out in the long run? “Look, I’m not usually one to make compromises but there is just something about you Naruto that I can’t turn away from. I’m willing to give this a try if you are, if not I’ll wait but it’s going to be hard to keep my distance…”

“But…the shelter…” Sasuke leaned backwards on the chair and Naruto observed him carefully. He seemed to not be phased in the slightest.

“Look, I’ll talk to Itachi, I’m sure he can find some way around this. The fact is Naruto do you want to put your life on hold? Do you want Nagato to still control your life, even if it is at a distance? I’ve met many men like Nagato before, this is what they do. They play games and they push and push until they wear the other person down to such a point that they get what they want. I like you Naruto and I’m not scared of Nagato” The strength in Sasuke’s tone and eyes made Naruto sway. He stopped his thoughts and he focused on the man in front of him. “Naruto…what do you want?”

“What do I want?” It had been a long time since someone had asked him that. Naruto had gotten so use to letting someone else make decisions for him that he found even the smallest decision to be selfish. So what did he want? “I think…I think I want to give this a try…”

“Are you sure? Because if you’re not then I’ll respect that and wait” Naruto smiled brightly. Before he had just been trying to make excuses, he had been scared that someone else would try do what Nagato had done. But it was obvious Sasuke was different. Yes he was a little bit blunt but it was nice, he was speaking his mind and there was no manipulation behind it.

“Why not, you said it yourself right, if your brother can keep his relationship out of the lime light then it can’t be too hard right?” Sasuke stood up and grabbed the bottle of sake and brought it back to the table.

“Let’s drink to it then!” Naruto blushed and held out his cup. He felt excited and slightly giddy. It had been so long since he had dated he wasn’t quite sure how to act. “To dating!”

“To dating” Naruto laughed and threw the liquid back. He cringed his face at the taste, he wasn’t a big fan of sake. Sasuke smirked at him and Naruto glared at the man for laughing at him. “Teme”

“Dobe” Sasuke reached out his hand across the table and Naruto looked at it warily. “I won’t hurt you Naruto…” Sasuke’s voice was soft and reassuring. Naruto nodded and placed his hand in Sasuke’s, letting the breath he didn’t realise he was holding. His hand felt nice in Sasuke’s, he hand was just small enough for Sasuke’s fingers to wrap around and cup his. Not only that the heat of it sent pleasant shivers up his arms, almost like electricity. 


	10. Party

A/N: I am soooooooooo sorry this has taken me so long! I had a few really intense months studying for exams (Which I passed! First year of nursing done!) and since then ive been struggling to sit down and write since ive been so coped up inside. But over the next few months im going to try my hardest to update this more regularly! I hope all my awesome readers had a fantastic Christmas!

……………………………

Naruto looked at the computer screen on his desk, a crease forming on his brow as he read over the notes of his new case. The boy had come in extremely withdrawn and it had taken half the session just to get him to say more than a few yes or no answers. Naruto was always frustrated when cases like the boy’s ended up on his desk. Not in a ‘I don’t want to help this person’ way but a frustration that the person was so walled up that it caused them to reject his help. Naruto had learnt over time that these cases were the hardest, it was a constant struggle with the patients fluctuating between moments of openness and other times completely blocking Naruto out. A case like this was worth it because when the patient finally accepted Naruto’s help he saw them fly. Teenagers that once saw the street as their only option now accepted into colleges and parents addicted to drugs turning clean and sober to provide a future for those who relied on them. It didn’t happen overnight, sometimes it took years but Naruto would be there through it all.

Naruto’s finger’s tapped across the keyboard as he added in a few extra notes, ideas that Naruto could use to help the boy to open up to him more so he could judge what direction to take things in. As it was Naruto had no idea what was going on with him. The boy came from a stable home, but Naruto knew looks could be deceiving. His mother seemed quiet, his father a joker. What alarmed Naruto though was how the boy flinched with contact, a sign of abuse but from who? It was going to take a while to get to the bottom of what was happening to the boy if he refused to talk to him. Naruto leaned back in his chair. It would probably be a good idea to refer the boy to Ino but he would have to talk to him about it at their next appointment. Ino worked at the hospital with Sakura is the psychology department and also volunteered at the shelter. The boy had two options. If he went through the hospital then his parent’s would have to pay but if he didn’t want his parent’s knowing he could go to the shelter and be seen by Ino for free.

“Naruto?” he lifted his head up and waved slightly to his friend Kiba. Kiba and Naruto went way back, they met in middle school and clicked immediately with their shared love of mischief. Kiba had to be the only person who had a level of excitement that exceed Naruto’s. He had shaggy brown hair held back with a bandana that Naruto poked fun at him for on odd occasions and two triangle shaped tattoos on either side of his cheeks; A family tradition that Kiba had been proud to take on.

“What’s up Kiba? Don’t tell me you broke the printer again!” Kiba stuck his tongue out at Naruto in a childish manner. Naruto chuckled, Kiba always did remind him of a dog especially with the way he followed their friend Hinata around like a lost puppy.

“That wasn’t my fault!” Kiba exclaimed, shutting the door behind him. Naruto’s eyes flicked to the suit in his hand. “This was left a reception for you with a note”

“Whose it from?” Naruto knew there was no point in asking, he had worn the black suit many times before.

“No clue, some dude name Kabuto dropped it off with this” Kiba laid the suit on the back of the chair in front of the desk and handed Naruto an envelope. Naruto felt sick at the mention of Kabuto. He was Orochimaru’s errand boy, amongst other things. If Orochimaru wanted it done Kabuto would do it.

“Oh joy” Naruto sighed sarcastically. Inside the envelope was an invitation to a charity auction and a note saying that he would be picked up at five thirty after work. Naruto always found these event’s ironic. It was just another event for the upper class to mingle and pretend that they cared about those struggling. The causes were usually one’s picked by advisors on what the public thought was important to gain popularity. Naruto was slightly happy, the money raised was a substantial amount most of the time but it irritated him that the reason for holding such an event was driven by selfish means. Kiba leant over the desk and let out an impressed whistle.

“Two thousand dollars a plate, you get all the luck” Naruto gave him a weak smile and Kiba raised his hands up “Sorry man, I forgot you two separated”

“You would think that would mean I got out of these things but no…Naruto the baka strikes again!” Kiba laughed at Naruto berating himself.

“Rough deal man, at least it’s only for a little while” Naruto looked down at his watch, it was already ten past five. “You could always call Nagato and say you’re sick?”

“No, I agreed to this and I don’t go back on my word” Naruto had strong morals, when he committed himself to something he would see it through. He was slightly excited for the event as a part of him had butterflies at the possibility of seeing Sasuke again. Naruto blushed as he remembered the previous night. It had been nice, even if Sasuke had tricked him into a date.

“I know that look! Who is it!” Naruto stood up quickly and pointed to the door. “Oh, come on!”

“Out dog breath! I have to get ready!” Kiba sighed and stood up, giving Naruto a pouted look.

“You wound me Uzumaki” Naruto narrowed his eyes playfully and Kiba raised his hand’s again. “Okay, okay, I’m going” Naruto watched his playful friend leave and then looked back down at the suit. He really hated it. Nagato had chosen it for him and spent an uncomfortable amount on it which always made Naruto feel guilty. On top of that he was nervous. It would be the first time seeing his husband since signing the agreement and he had no clue the direction the night would take.

……………………………

Naruto sat next to Nagato in silence. The car had arrived on time and he was slightly taken aback to see his husband occupying one of the seats. Naruto had assumed they would just meet at the event. Now that he thought about it though it was a naïve assumption. Of course they had to arrive together it would be suspicious if they didn’t. Naruto looked down at his hands and wrung them nervously. His mind raced as he questioned if he should say something. Nagato refused to look at him and he felt his gut tighten.

“How long am I required to stay?” Naruto forced out, his adams apple bobbing as he swallow dryly. Nagato tightened his lips and turned his gaze on him. He felt the purple eyes inspect him and Naruto shifted uncomfortably.

“For as long as I feel is appropriate” the reply was cold and clinical. Nagato was obviously still angry with him but Naruto refused to feel guilty. He did the right thing and if Nagato couldn’t see that then that was his problem.

“I have work tomorrow” he replied just as coldly. Naruto looked over his husband. His red hair was slicked back, showing off his slim but angular face and his body was clad in a similar suit to the one Naruto was wearing except he had opted for a purple tie instead of Naruto’s blue coloured one.

“Tough, you will leave when I say it is okay” Naruto sighed and blew a strand of hair out of his face. He wasn’t in the mood to argue and it was obvious Nagato was being stubborn on purpose. “Sit up straight, your posture is terrible”

“You know I’m really sick of your shit Nagato. You don’t control me so quit telling me what to do” Nagato went to grab him but Naruto moved out of his reach. “Don’t you dare touch me”

“You are an ungrateful brat who needs to learn his place” Nagato spat out venomously. “I swear to god Naruto if you embarrass me tonight there will be hell to pay”

“Don’t threaten me Nagato, I know damn well what your capable of” the two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity to Naruto. He had his hand on the door handle behind him, ready to jump if he needed to. Naruto didn’t care if he would be injured doing it, he would rather be hurt jumping out of a car then by Nagato’s fist again.

“You better have this attitude of yours under wraps before you exit this car” Naruto scowled but his shoulders relaxed. Nagato seemed to have reigned in his temper.

Lights began to flash around the car, signalling that they were pulling up to the event. Naruto relaxed his face. He had done this plenty of times before. As long as he had a smile on his face the press wouldn’t try pry for a story. The car came to a complete stop and Naruto closed his eyes, trying to focus himself. The door opened and he swung his legs out, a wide smile of his face. It was his fake smile, anyone that knew him would see that but the people here would have no idea. Bright light’s flashed in his face and he held back a grimace and forced an awkward wave which only caused more camera’s to flash.

Naruto should have been use to this by now but he wasn’t. He was awkward when he had so much attention on him and for some reason the press feed on it. Magazine after magazine published numerous articles about the shy, street kid whose awkwardness made him ‘adorable’. Naruto hated it. He hated the labels, he hated the unwanted attention and he hated how he tried to be in the background but his efforts were useless.

Naruto felt a familiar arm around his waist and his skin crawled in disgust. Nagato had a similar smile on his face but he waved strong and confidently. This is what the press saw. A strong and confident leader next to an adorable ‘project’. The arm tightened and Naruto was pulled closer to his husband almost painfully. Fear bubbled up in him and Naruto pulled away in a knee jerk action. He looked around once he realised what he had done to see if anyone had noticed.

“Let’s go inside” Nagato smiled, placing his hand on the small of Naruto’s back. His tone was sweet and caring but Naruto knew it wasn’t for him, it was for the press.

“Naruto! Is it true you have moved out of your home!” a reporter screamed out, shoving a recorder in his face. Naruto tilted his head to the side, debating on what to say. He could always tell the truth and just end everything right here.

“I’ve taken on a few project’s lately so between them, my volunteer work and my job I’ve been finding it hard to spend time at home” he went to take a step forward but the reporter stopped him again.

“If you spend so much time on other projects how do you plan on supporting your husband on his mayoral campaign?” Naruto frowned. He wasn’t prepared for a question such as that.

“Naruto has promised to cut back his hours and put aside time to join me at important event’s such as this charity dinner for the children’s ward at Konoha Hospital” Nagato replied quickly, his eyes shifting to look at Naruto as if he expected him to object.

“Will he be joining you on your trip to Kumogakure next week?” Naruto quickly place his hand in Nagato’s in an intimate gesture. It stopped Nagato from speaking as he was thrown by the sudden affection.

“Sadly I will not. I have just taken on a few new cases that require me to stay in Konoha, any event’s held in the city though I will be attending. I’m sorry but we have to enter the event now, don’t we Nagato?” He smiled sweetly up at Nagato which caused the reported to make an aw sound. Nagato nodded, his eyes wavering in disappointment.

“Thank you for your time, enjoy your evening!” The reported said cheerily, allowing them to enter the building with ease.

Inside the event was a completely different atmosphere to outside. Press were banned from entering the event as those invited wanted to enjoy their privacy. A few hired photographers wandered around but they were under strict instructions to only take posed photos and no freelancing. The room was filled with chatter, groups of people scattered around as they waited for the event to start. Table’s filled the majority of the floor space, each table fitting eight people comfortably. Naruto noted it was a very clean setting. White and silver was obviously the theme the organisers had chosen. The centre pieces fish bowls with a set of silver lights in them, simple but effective.

“Nagato!” a loud voice boomed out over the crowd and Naruto wanted to inch away.

“Kisame, it’s been awhile” Nagato greeted pleasantly, holding out his hand which Kisame took strongly.

“To long, I’ve been meaning to get a hold of you to discuss some…business” Kisame flicked his eyes towards Naruto and it was clear that he didn’t feel comfortable discussing it in front of the blonde. Naruto spotted a head of black hair and he nodded his leave.

“Don’t go too far Naruto” Nagato smiled out. Naruto nodded, understanding the meaning behind it. His husband basically wanted him in eyesight so he could watch his every move. Naruto knew it was a risk going to talk to Sasuke but he needed a friendly face.

“Naruto” a hand was placed on his shoulder before he could reach his new boyfriend. It wasn’t unwelcomed though as Naruto recognised the voice and spun round. Itachi was standing there, looking as crisp and pristine as he remember from last time. “I’m surprised to see you here”

“I didn’t exactly have a choice” Naruto replied, a frown on his face as he felt himself being watched.

“Ah, yes. Sasuke told me about your…predicament” Itachi smiled at him pleasantly but Naruto watched as his eyes flashed in disgust. It wasn’t aimed at Naruto as Itachi was looking behind him. “Sasuke has quite a skill for being inconspicuous but you…I feel you wear your heart on your sleeve so maybe it’s for the best if you focus on your _husband_ this evening”

“I wasn’t…” Naruto went to protest but Itachi winked at him. The man was obviously trying to get Naruto to see something he couldn’t.

“Opportunities arise, I suggest you take advantage of them when they occur” Naruto’s mouth formed an ‘o’ motion as he realised what Itachi meant. If he immediately made his way to Sasuke Nagato would put two and two together quickly. Naruto wanted to hit himself for being so stupid and letting his impulses to be close to Sasuke take over him. Yes they had a cover but if Naruto didn’t choose the right moment’s to approach Sasuke it would be waving a red flag in front of his husband’s face. “Has Tsunade talked to you about our contract yet?”

“No, we keep missing each other at the shelter lately” Naruto felt a presence next to him and he immediately tensed up. “Nagato, are you done talking with Kisame?”

“I can talk with him later on” Nagato sized Itachi up, trying to work out what business he had with his now uncomfortable plus one. “Speaking of business, we didn’t get to finish our budgeting meeting”

“I really do wish we could discuss this at another point in time, we are at an event after all it would be a shame to waste such an evening discussing work” It amazed Naruto how smooth Itachi could be. He transitioned so well from one conversation to the next it would be hard to tell if it was intentional or not.

“Ah yes, you are right I apologise. I heard that you and Sasuke have invested in the shelter Naruto works at, if you don’t mind me asking how did that come about?” Naruto bit his lip and held his tongue; of course Nagato would know, he had Orochimaru digging around for him. It irritated Naruto beyond belief, knowing that his _husband_ was prying into the shelters finances; it was like Nagato was trying to prove how serious he was about selling the shelter if things fell through.

“We were intrigued with Naruto’s brash comments when we first met him that I did some digging myself. The shelter has brilliant framework so I sent Sasuke to investigate further. Naruto here apparently was so passionate about it that Sasuke decided on the spot it was a programme worth our time” Itachi was being careful with his words, placing the idea on himself and keeping Naruto’s part as played down as possible.

“I see, well it can only be a good thing, with more funding means more staff which in turn frees Naruto up for more engagements, I am grateful” Nagato grabbed him around the waist again and Naruto clenched his fist but kept his smile on. “It’s been awfully hard on our marriage, I’d like to use that time to fix things”

“Fix things? I was under the assumption it was heading in another direction” Naruto wanted to shrink to an impossible size and hide under a cup. This was not what he wanted to talk about and he knew he had to keep his mouth shut.

“That was just a misunderstanding, wasn’t it Naruto?” the two men turned their attention to him and his smile wavered. Itachi knew the truth and he could see a slight glimmer of anger behind his cool demeanour. He wasn’t sure if it was directed at him or for Nagato trying to manipulate him into a corner.

“Ah…who would like a drink?” his cheeks twitched under the strain of his forced and uncomfortable smile. “Whiskey Nagato?”

“No, I’m not drinking tonight, water would be nice though” Naruto nodded and quickly stridden away from them, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his jacket.  

………………………………..

Naruto slid into the bathroom unseen and locked himself in one of the stalls. He was exhausted and ready to go home but Nagato had not once let him out of his sight that the bathroom had been his only opportunity to gain some space. Naruto placed the porcelain cover down and sat on it, he put his head between his knees and grasped his hair. He was beyond frustrated as he was being thrust into the limelight without his consent. Dragged from person to person as if he was some prized pig to be shown off. Naruto had begun to miss how thing’s use to be at event’s like this. Nagato would only introduce him to those he deemed important but Naruto would have been able to wander off and do his own things but tonight was different. It was if Nagato was using the event to try show everyone their relationship was all well and good by overcompensating his affection for him.

Naruto held back a scream. He hated it. Hated how they all stared and whispered and he was just supposed to pretend that everything was okay. Pretend that when Nagato touched him that he was comfortable when in reality it made his skin crawl and his body jerk slightly. For just one moment Naruto wanted to not pretend and be allowed to be himself but he knew he was asking too much. What infuriated Naruto even further though was the promises.

Nagato had been making all sorts of promises to people. That they would attend one event and then the next he would be accepting dinner invitations which Naruto would rather jump of a bridge then attend. Nagato had made an entire schedule for him in just a few hours regardless of how he felt or concern for Naruto’s other commitments. He felt used and abused, pulled from one direction to the other and he was finding it hard to cope.

“Naruto?” the door creaked open and Naruto lifted his head when feet stopped outside of the stall he was in. “Naruto…it’s me, open the door” slowly Naruto unlocked the latch and opened the door enough to see Sasuke’s concerned face. “Rough night?”

“That’s an understatement Teme” he sighed, moving backwards so Sasuke could enter the stall with him. Naruto return to his makeshift seat and pulled his legs up so he was sitting cross legged on it. “I’m just over this, I want to go home”

“I’m finding it hard myself not to punch that prick for you” Sasuke replied, giving Naruto a weak smile. “He’s just trying to wear you down Dobe, don’t let him get to you”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one being dragged around the room like some prized rag doll” Sasuke sighed and crouched down so he was eye level with the irritated blonde.

“Maybe not, but the fan girls are being overly insufferable tonight” Naruto narrowed his eyes at the idea of them. He had noticed throughout the night how woman ungraciously threw themselves at his boyfriend. It wasn’t the way the acted that annoyed Naruto, it was how they completely ignored how uncomfortable the made the raven haired man. “How about after this I come over and we watch that lame ninja movie your always raving about”

“Hey! The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi is an amazing movie thank you very much! Far better than anything in your vast collection!” Naruto puffed out his cheeks and folded his arms across his chest in a childish manor which caused Sasuke to chuckle.

“You’re cute when you pout Dobe” Naruto turned his head to object but froze when he found his mouth being covered by Sasuke’s lips. The surprise slowly began to wear off and Naruto leant into the kiss, wrapping his hand around the back of Sasuke’s head and moving his lips softly against the others. Sasuke smiled into it before giving Naruto’s bottom lip and quick nip causing Naruto to gasp just enough for him to slip his tongue into the other man’s mouth. Naruto groaned and flicked his tongue out to meet Sasuke’s but both of them content with them entangling in a soft a slow manor. Sasuke was the first to pull away much to Naruto’s dismay who panted softly with a blush on his whiskered cheeks. “Now you look even cuter”

“Shut up Teme” Naruto replied. The two men froze when the heard the door creak open to the bathroom and Naruto was thankful only one pair of feet could be seen.

“Mr Uzumaki, are you in here?” Naruto didn’t recognise the voice but he was certain it was one of Orochimaru’s underlings. Sasuke raised his finger to his lips and unlocked the stall door, slipping out quickly and carefully. “Oh, Mr Uchiha I didn’t realise it was you”

“Well as you can see I am the only one here, now would you mind it’s rather uncomfortable having someone watching my movements” Naruto heard the shuffling of feet and the person mumble sorry. Naruto chuckled quietly, if only people knew that Sasuke had a soft side to him “Well, what are you doing still standing there?”

“S-sorry Mr Uchiha” Naruto heard the door swing shut and he poked his head out to see a scowling Sasuke glaring at the bathroom door.

“It’s disgusting how they follow that man” Naruto placed a hand on the Uchiha’s shoulder. “I’ll leave first, give it five minute’s then come out, I’ll distract anyone waiting for you” Sasuke leant down to give Naruto a quick peck then winked at him “See you later Dobe”

Naruto watched Sasuke’s retreating back, a firm smile plastered on his face. The night may be terrible but at least he had something to look forward to now and the kiss they had shared left Naruto feeling giddy. His stomach was tense with butterflies and his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest in excitement. It had been years since Naruto had felt such a strong connection with someone and he was going to make sure that Nagato wouldn’t take this feeling away from him.

……………………………….


	11. Decieved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE TIME! WOOP! Just a warning this starts off with a bit of smut/goes into a tiny bit of kink territory. I’m not the best at writing smut but I gave it a go! I made it a little bit of a kink because wanted to show the trust Naruto had with Sasuke and because my mind just ended up going in that direction so my apologise if some of you don’t like it! Happy reading!

Sasuke’s arms were quickly becoming Naruto’s favourite place. They held a comfort and security Naruto had never felt in years and any time he was in the embrace of them he felt his heart swell. The tired blonde pressed his head into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck and inhaled the scent of his subtle cologne mixed with his natural cinnamon fragrance. Naruto sighed, feeling the tension in his body leave him, a small smile lifting the sides of his lips as Sasuke placed a kiss into his hair.

“Rough day?” Sasuke asked. Naruto groaned, remembering the lunch he had gone on with Nagato for ‘appearances’ sake. It had taken all of Naruto’s energy to not storm out of the restaurant as Nagato had spent the entire time pulling apart every bit of Naruto from what he wore to how he spoke.

“It’s better now that you’re here Teme” Naruto felt Sasuke’s chest vibrate as he chuckled and pulled away so he could place a soft kiss on the amused man’s lips.

“Want to talk about it?” Sasuke grabbed his hand and lead him over to Naruto’s couch, lying down and pulling the blonde down with him so that he was spooning against his back with his hand patting his hair in a soothing manor.

“No, I wouldn’t want to waste any of our time together talking about t _hat_ man” he spat out, face scrunched in distaste. “What do you want to do for dinner? I don’t particularly feel like cooking”

“You?” Sasuke smirked, leaning down and blowing softly on Naruto’s sensitive neck. He wiggled uncomfortably under the tickling breath, a blush on his cheeks.

“Sasukkkkkeeeeeee” Naruto whined and held a hand on the spot, trying to stop the butterflies building in his stomach.

“What? I’m not doing anything wrong am I?” Sasuke question as his hand travelled up over Naruto’s thigh, stopping at his hip. Naruto flushed, his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip. He removed his hand, giving Sasuke’s mouth access to his neck properly which Sasuke happily took advantage of. “I’ve missed you dobe”

“We saw each other this morning” Naruto breathed out huskily, enjoying the feeling of Sasuke’s soft lips of his neck, peppering it ever so lightly.

“That’s still too long” Sasuke rolled himself over and sat up so he was straddling the blonde’s hips, his hand’s going to the button’s on Naruto’s shirt, his delicate fingers undoing them so slowly it was driving Naruto mad with anticipation. He looked up at Sasuke with hooded eyes, lust curling in the ocean blue pools.

“Stop teasing me Teme” Naruto growled out, bucking his hips and eliciting a sharp gasp from the raven. Sasuke ignored his demand much to Naruto’s dismay and undid his tie. He watched as the expensive silk accessory slipped off and was tied around his wrists. “Teme…”

……………………………..

“Do you trust me Naruto?” Sasuke asked, he wanted to take his time with Naruto today but he also wanted to make him beg. There was uncertainty in his eyes and it became obvious to Sasuke that his little blonde fox had never been tied up before. It made Sasuke’s member jump to attention knowing that he would be the first to introduce Naruto to a darker side of sex.

“I do” Naruto blushed but there was an excitement in his eyes Sasuke revelled in.

“Whatever I do Naruto, you are not allowed to touch me and if you do I will punish you” Naruto let out a snort which caused Sasuke to gabbed his tied wrist and hold them above his shaggy blonde head.

“That can’t be that hard Teme” Sasuke’s eyes darkened, accepting the words as a challenge and he gave Naruto a wicked smirk before crushing their lips together. Naruto groaned under him as Sasuke dominated the kiss, devouring the willing man underneath him. He used his free hand to continue unbuttoning the shirt he had previously abandon so his greedy eyes could be exposed to the tan flesh concealed by it.

Sasuke could never get enough of Naruto’s body, it was toned but had a softness to it that was alluring to him and he was determined to explore every part of it. Even the scar’s that littered the tanned skin was in Sasuke’s mind beautiful and the tattoo on his stomach made his gut clutch in arousal. What Sasuke really loved about Naruto’s body was how sensitive it was, even the smallest touch made the little fox groan.

“Now remember dobe, no touching” Sasuke warned before he leant down and carefully placed his lips on Naruto’s neck, gliding them over it until he felt a fluid pulse underneath. He flicked his tongue out, testing the spot before nipping it with his teeth. Naruto threw his head back, his eyes closed and bruised lips parted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, he wanted to her Naruto moan. His mouth pulled at the skin over the throbbing jugular, light enough not to leave a mark but hard enough for the vulnerable blonde to moan. The sound egged Sasuke on and he felt it was time to let go of the Naruto’s wrists so both of his hand could feel the heated skin of his lover.

 Sasuke moved his lips lower down to man’s fainter pulse of his carotid artery and repeated the process, not satisfied until he heard the same sound as before. He could tell Naruto was already getting lost in his gentle assault and he knew it wouldn’t be long until he cracked. Sasuke continued kissing Naruto, every moan earing the man to have Sasuke’s lips move further down his body while his hand’s wandered lightly.

“F-fuck Sasuke”

……………………….

Naruto thought it would be easy to follow Sasuke’s obscured rule but the longer Sasuke touched him and kissed him he found the idea painful. He wanted to touch Sasuke, not only because he wanted to hear Sasuke moaning with him but because the very fact that it wasn’t allowed. It made his finger’s itch with need and he began to bend his elbows. Sasuke reached his chest and those teasing lips ghosted over one nipple while a hand floated over his other. Naruto lifted his chest up, his body begging for the touch.

“S-Sasuke, p-please” He groan out. Sasuke chuckled, the vibration meeting the tip of his nipple and Naruto moaned out at the friction. A pink tongue flicked out and began to swirl around it before Sasuke clamped his teeth down. Naruto yelled out, his eyes flicking open at the pain. He went to say something but Sasuke took the sore nipple into his mouth and lightly sucked it. He responded by throwing his head back and lifting his hips up in an attempt to bring his member closer to Sasuke’s, needing so form of release for his now swollen member. Naruto was beginning to fall apart.

“Do you want me to touch you down there Na-ru-to” Sasuke breathed out, one hand trailing a finger down lightly, stopping at the top of his pants and curling in the trail of hair. Naruto nodded, his lips trembling. “Do you?”

“Y-yes” Naruto groaned out, lowering his hands over his head to try and grab Sasuke’s hands and forced them in that direction. Sasuke tutted at him, scooting out of the way.

“What was my rule my little fox” The way Sasuke purred out was pure sin to Naruto’s ear and his voice died in his throat. He didn’t care anymore, he just needed Sasuke to touch him. He grabbed Sasuke’s shirt and pulled him to his lips, trying to get the man to engage with him but Sasuke pulled away, shaking his head. “Naughty little fox’s need to be punished”

“S-Sasuke, stop messing with me!” Naruto ground out between his teeth. He was over the man’s games, his need was unlike anything he had felt before.

“Not until you beg me Naruto” Sasuke leant down and kissed the spiral tattoo before standing up and removing his belt. Naruto watched with wide eyes as the man began to undress, keeping a hold of the belt in his hand.

“Sasuke?” Naruto questioned, shrinking away. He wasn’t sure he liked this. Sasuke gave him a reassuring kiss and stared deep into his eyes, showing Naruto that he meant him no harm.

“Trust me” Naruto fought down his fear and let his excitement take over, his eyes taking in every inch of Sasuke’s body. The man was a chiselled adonis and he reached out to touch the impressive abs. “Uh uh, turn around little fox” He was hesitant but he did as he was told. “I won’t hurt you Naruto, I promise”

“I trust you Sasuke” Naruto whispered out and closed his eyes. He let out a small yell when he felt the soft leather strike his backside. It wasn’t painful, Sasuke was making sure not to be too rough with him but it did tingle where it hit, sending a wave of heat to his groin. The next hit was a bit harder but Naruto was prepared and he bit a moan into the back of the couch.

………………………..

Sasuke swore under his breath, the sight of Naruto bent over the couch made his dick the hardest it had ever been and he fought the urge to take the blonde right there and then. But he wouldn’t, not yet. Sasuke pressed himself against Naruto’s back, sliding is hands down the man’s arms before grabbing the tie and pulling him to a standing position. He undid Naruto’s jeans and Naruto kicked them aside when they fell to the floor along with his boxers.

“Fuck!” Sasuke yelled as his phone rang. Naruto leant forward, giving Sasuke an amazing view of the man ass and he groaned, who would be calling him at this time!

“It’s Itachi” Naruto flipped the phone open and pressed it to Sasuke’s ear with both hands. The raven adonis gave Naruto a questioning look, disappointed that their moment was ruined. Naruto raised a finger to his lips and pushed Sasuke down on the couch, settling between his legs.

“ _Sasuke?”_ he heard Itachi ask through the phone. Sasuke froze when he felt Naruto’s tongue lick the precum in the slit of his penis, a strangled gasp escaping his lips “ _Sasuke, are you alright”_

“This better be important Itachi” Sasuke growled, his eyes completely focused on Naruto’s lips which had begun to slowly slid down his shaft, making him shudder in delight.

 _“Where are you?”_  Sasuke cursed him, Itachi knew damn well where he was right now. Sasuke leaned backwards, his throat constricting as he tried to hold down a moan; Naruto was far too good at giving head and he didn’t know how much longer her could stay on the phone.

“At Naruto’s” The blonde used his tied hands to massage the end of his shaft and his testicles and Sasuke had to pull the phone away from him, holding a hand over the receiver as he let out a loud guttural moan. Naruto looked up at him, his eyes innocent yet devilish.

 _“Sasuke…two nights in a row isn’t keeping a low profile”_ Itachi scolded. Sasuke couldn’t care less at the moment, what Naruto was doing to him was pure bliss and he could care less if they got caught right now.

“Y-Yes Nii-san” he stuttered out. He heard Itachi chuckle at the end of the phone as his breathing became laboured. Damn Naruto, now his brother would tease him endlessly.

 _“Am I interrupting something?”_ Sasuke could hear the smile in his brother’s voice but Naruto had picked up the pace and he couldn’t focus on anything except what the magical tongue of his was doing to him.

“I’ve got to go, I’ll call you back later” Sasuke didn’t wait for Itachi to reply and pushed the end button then threw his phone on the floor. Naruto removed himself from Sasuke’s member, a small smirk on his angelic features. “Jesus Christ Dobe” Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s still tied hands and pulled him off the floor, he couldn’t wait any longer.

………………………………………………………

Sasuke threw his keys onto the kitchen table and went to make himself a cup of coffee. He was exhausted, after Naruto’s little phone stunt Sasuke hadn’t been able to keep his hands off the little minx all night and only managed to get about an hour’s sleep. He knew he probably looked like shit but he really didn’t care, he would happily do it again. Sasuke picked up the paper, his eyes scanning the business section before landing on a small headline to the side just as Itachi came into the room.

“Fun night Otouto?” Itachi smirked. Sasuke glared at him but said nothing before throwing the paper at him. “Ah, yes…that”

“Is that why you rung me?” Itachi sat at the table and Sasuke made a second cup, handing it to him before sitting down. Itachi handed a file to him and he flicked through it quickly, a grim smile on his face.

“That was an…interesting phone call” Itachi watched him choke on his coffee and snickered before getting down to business.

“This has Madara written all over it” Sasuke sighed. “Do you think Nagato’s in on this?”

“Maybe, it explains that bullshit contact with Naruto, he’s wanting him to fail so Madara can buy up the land” Itachi sipped his coffee “You’re going to have to be more careful Otouto, as much…fun…as you two are having you don’t want it interfering with the shelter”

“I know…so what do you reckon he’s planning?” Sasuke sighed, picking up a list of real estate brought over a number of years “This is a substantial area, how did this go so unnoticed?”

“Because it was in a different name” Itachi leant over, pointing to the listed owner “Tobi? Never heard it before”

“Exactly so it went unchecked” Itachi pulled out a map that had numerous building’s coloured in red to indicate the properties bought and the shelter was sitting in the middle of them all. “Madara was always big on expanding, buying up poor and selling it off to developers, my bet is that the current mayor is refusing to sell the land so Nagato is set up a deal to sell it once he was elected in the only problem is that Naruto threw a curve ball into the mix and jeopardised that so they came up with this bogus contract to keep him in line”

“But…why make the contract when he could just sell it? Isn’t he putting it at risk with offering it to Naruto in a trust?” Itachi’s eyes glinted in the way where he was one step ahead.

“They are expecting Naruto to default on it. It’s made so that they have plenty of time to pick up the points they need and then they can choose when to throw it back at Naruto, making claims that he’s broken one or more of the rules in it” Sasuke pulled at his hair in frustration.

“Fuck, so you think they may know about us then?” Itachi shook his head and took another sip of his coffee.

“No, I’ve had my investigators following you two to make sure you weren’t picked up on, I’m one hundred percent sure your relationship isn’t under speculation at this point in time. The easiest route they would take is a breach in conditions such as not turning up to event’s and such. I wouldn’t put it past Nagato to be searching for something though, if he was going to take Naruto down he would want to do it on a public stage, an eye for an eye” Sasuke groaned, his day was completely ruined. He had woken up from a night of the best sex he ever had to this shit storm.

“Then why are we still funding the prick, if we pull our sponsorship wont others follow? No money no campaign and all that” Sasuke reviewed a few more pieces in the folder, growing more frustrated by the minute.

“Because Sasuke we are Uchiha’s and Uchiha’s keep their enemies close” Itachi stood up and Sasuke realised he looked just as tired as he felt “Just, stay away from Naruto for a few day’s alright…”

“I don’t know if I can do that Nii-san” Sasuke whispered. He couldn’t even go a few hours without at least contacting the man.

“Love does crazy thing’s to us doesn’t it Otouto” Sasuke nodded, not missing the smile his brother gave him when he didn’t deny it. Sasuke Uchiha loved Naruto Uzumaki and he’d be damned if he let the black sheep of the Uchiha clan fuck it up for him.


	12. A kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N. I am so sorry this has taken me so long. My laptop decided it hated me and I had to deal with the blue screen of death! I finally got it back after 3 weeks of it being sent off to the manufacturer to fix it! But thankfully they could and I didn’t lose anything on my D drive which is where I keep all my stories!. I will try update again either next week or the week after at the latest (I’ve started uni again so have to fit it in between assignments and lecs).

 

Naruto looked down at the coffee in his hand, a bored expression on his face as Nagato chatted animatedly with the journalist across from them. For the most part he had been ignored, which he was thankful for but he was getting sick of hearing his ‘husband’ speak. It was if the man was in love with his own voice and he wondered when his bullshit spiel would end so they could get the photo shoot over and done with. Naruto swirled the liquid in the cup, watching the remaining foam spin in a spiral pattern in a hypnotic manor.

“How do you feel about it Naruto?” He looked up quickly, cocking his head to the side and his brows knitted.

“I’m sorry, I missed the question” He flicked his eyes to Nagato who was watching him smugly and his gut tightened. He really should have paid more attention.

“Nagato said that you will be accompanying him on his next trip to Amegakure no Sato, it must be hard to leave your volunteer commitment’s behind” Naruto’s face blanched and he turned to Nagato in a panicked state. He hadn’t agreed to that, he didn’t even know about it.

“I-I didn’t know about it” He spluttered out, stumbling over his words as he tried to regain his composure. Nagato seemed unfazed by his outburst, almost as if he was expecting it.

“It’s only just been planned, I made a few calls and arranged you some time off” Naruto balled his hand’s into fist’s but put on a fake smile before turning back to the journalist. “You’ve been working so hard lately I thought it would be nice for you to have a break”

“A break would be nice…” Naruto paraphrased. The journalist scribbled down on the pad in her hand quickly, a small smile on her lips. “How many more questions do you have? I’m a bit pressed for time”

“Just one more…” Nagato nodded in agreement, if they didn’t wrap up the interview part of the shoot they would both be late for other engagements. “What is your relationship with Sasuke Uchiha?”

“E-excuse me?” Naruto felt hot coffee spill onto his hand as his grip on the cup weakened and some of the brown liquid fell out. “What kind of question is that?!”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, I just wanted to address the rumour that you two have been seen interacting at event’s recently” Naruto shook his head and stood up, his hand was slightly red and he was to thrown by the question to answer it in a rational sense.

“Sharingan Corporation is backing my campaign financially and through that connect the Uchiha brothers have taken an interest in the youth shelter. Naruto as you know is a dedicated volunteer so it is silly to speculate a relationship other than that of a professional one. I assure you my husband is faithful to me” Naruto listened intently to Nagato’s reply, picking up on the suspicious undertone in it that the journalist would miss.

“What about the rumours that Naruto is no longer living in your house?” Naruto looked at the door, tempted to walk out it and never come back but he knew that he had to remain calm and stick it out.

“That would be my fault, I decided to renovate while Naruto spent time on his numerous projects but the smell of paint affects his sinuses’ terribly and he’s been forced to stay with a friend until it’s finished” Naruto sat back down, deciding to go along with Nagato’s story.

“I can’t afford to get sick” The tanned blonde smiled weakly “The smell was giving me terrible headaches and under my eyes were all swollen and tender, I had no choice really” The woman looked at him with sympathetic eyes, buying into the lies they were feeding her.

“I know that feeling all too well myself” Nagato reached over and placed a hand on Naruto’s leg, the move would look like the man was reassuring him but it held a warning to Naruto that made him uneasy. Naruto had sworn he had been careful, he only approached Sasuke when he was certain it wouldn’t look suspicious. Naruto bit his lip, wondering if Nagato had played a part in the question, trying to see if he could pull any information from him. Was this Nagato’s way of telling him that he had noticed his closeness to Sasuke? “Alright, the photographer should be set up by now so if you would follow me into the next room well get started”

Nagato grabbed the shaken, whiskered scared man’s hand as they stood up and Naruto knew it was to show that their relationship wasn’t on rocky grounds as the woman had suggested. The hold felt unnatural to Naruto as he had grown so use to Sasuke’s warm and comforting hands. He found it surprising that over such a short time Sasuke had managed to force Nagato completely out of his heart and the things that he used to hold so dear to him now bore no emotion from him whatsoever. He wondered if he ever really loved Nagato at all, that what he had felt in their marriage was just the lie’s Nagato had tripped him into.

“Your daydreaming Naruto” The tall red head frowned, raising his hand to Naruto’s hair and brushing it to the side. A frown was set on his pale features as the blonde lock’s refused to be tamed.

“Sorry” Naruto mumbled. “How do we do this?”

“Come here” Nagato stood behind him and wrapped his arms around Naruto’s waist, his hands clasped together. The blonde sighed, annoyed at the fake embrace. “I’ve missed having you in my arms”

“Don’t get used to it” Naruto snapped, his face contorted into a forced look of happiness. Nagato’s arm’s flinched at the response but didn’t let his disappointment shine through as the camera light flashed every few seconds.

“I do wish you would stop being so stubborn and just come home already” Naruto sighed and pulled out of the grip and stood next to Nagato instead. He was use to this by now, every time the two saw each other Nagato tried to convince Naruto to return to him. He of course always refused. “Is it because of Uchiha?”

“You only have yourself to blame Nagato and you said it yourself, there is nothing between Sasuke and me…” Nagato growled in his throat and narrowed his eyes. “You still can’t see it can you?”

“My actions were justified” Nagato replied. The shorter but more toned Naruto sighed, shaking his head in disbelief and wondered if Nagato would ever listen.

“Abuse is never justified Nagato…” Naruto began to walk away from the backdrop behind them, his disgust for his delusional ex taking over.

“Sorry! Can we please just get one last photo?!” The journalist ran forward, alarm sketched into her face. “I promised my boss one of you two kissing, the readers love that sort of thing”

“Of course” Nagato replied from behind them. Naruto felt his shoulders drop but nodded, the youth shelter firm in his mind. It was just a kiss, a fake one at that and he would endure it so the kid’s he cared for would have a home.

Naruto walked back to his previous position and faced Nagato, his face blank of emotion. He could do this, it was just a small peck and then he could leave and scrub himself down in his shower. Nagato pulled him to his chest, an arm snaked around his back. Naruto pictured Sasuke in his mind, maybe if he pretend it was his boyfriend then he wouldn’t feel so disgusted. He watched as Nagato tilted his head to the side and leant his face down; his chest picked up pace in chest. A few more inches and those lips that spit such vile thoughts would be on his. Naruto felt the urge to pull away and closed his eyes, willing himself to think of Sasuke.

“I-I can’t” Naruto whispered out, guilt washing over him. He couldn’t kiss another man, he couldn’t betray Sasuke like that. Nagato ignored him and closed the gap, crushing his harsh lips onto Naurto’s trembling ones. He squeezed his eyes tight and counted the seconds until the kiss ended. Nagato tried to get Naruto to cooperate, moving his mouth harshly but Naruto remained still. Would Sasuke forgive him? Would he hate him? By agreeing to this had Naruto just thrown away his entire relationship?.

“I swear Naruto if you don’t kiss me properly…” Nagato mumbled, pulling away slightly.

“Alright, I think we’ve got everything we need!” The journalist’s voice broke through their tension and Naruto stepped away quickly. “Thank you so much for your time! I know you two are busy so I’m grateful that you made room for me!”

“Anytime, would you mind if I looked through the photos? I would like to approve the ones you have chosen” Naruto took his exit quickly, leaving Nagato with the journalist as he went into the other room and grabbed his things. He wanted to called Sasuke and tell him what happened, he couldn’t have this weighing down on him.

…………………………………………

Sasuke looked up at Shikamaru who handed him a pile of contracts, a bored look on the uninterested lawyers face. Sasuke knew Shikamaru hated the paperwork that came with the job and Sasuke had to agree with him, paperwork was the bane of his existence. Sasuke picked up the first one and flicked through the pages, signing his signature whenever there was a red sticker arrow. He knew he should probably read them but he trusted Shikamaru with his life so he saw no point in checking the man’s work.

“Naruto’s been spending a lot of time with his husband” Shikamaru yawned, sitting down in the leather chair on the other side of the desk as he waited for Sasuke to finish.

“Ex husband and yes…it’s necessary” Sasuke ground his teeth. He hated knowing he had to take a step back and that the man who had hurt Naruto was spending more time with his boyfriend then he was. Ever since Itachi had shown him the information on Madara he had restrained himself from seeing the fox like man.

“How bothersome” Shikamaru leant backwards in the chair and put his feet on Sasuke’s desk. “Seems to be working though, Nagato’s points have jumped up enough for him to be a strong choice in the polls”

“Only a few more months and then Naruto never has to see that bastard again” Sasuke couldn’t wait for the election to be over, he already had plans to take Naruto away on holiday to celebrate. The thought brought a smile to his face, the idea of having Naruto all to himself for two weeks giving him something to look forward to.

“You know it doesn’t add up right?” Sasuke smirked and nodded, nothing got past his friend. “I hope you’re ready for the fallout”

“I’m getting things in order…” Itachi had come up with a plan, one that made sure that Naruto would be the one to benefit from the contract. Not only would the youth shelter be safe but Sasuke was certain every dirty truth about Nagato would come to light, he would bury the man so deeply in his own lies that he would never be able to recover his career.

“You finished yet?” Sasuke signed the last page and handed the contracts over. Shikamaru checked them to make sure nothing was missed then gave a curt nod and left. Sasuke turned to his phone, the black item had begun to buzz and Naruto’s name flashed on it.

“Dobe, are you alright” It was unusual for Naruto to be calling him at this time, usually the man was at work.

“I’m sorry! Please, please don’t hate me” Naruto sounded frazzled on the line and Sasuke sat up straight quickly. “I didn’t want to do it…”

“Naruto, slow down and explain…what’s happened” He heard Naruto take a deep breath before replying with a shaky voice.

“He…Nagato and me…we…kissed” Sasuke gripped his phone tightly, his eyes flashing dangerously. “It was for this stupid article and the journalist asked for a photo of us kissing…please believe me when I say I didn’t want to, I tried to tell Nagato but he just ignored me”

“I see…” Sasuke was trying to remain calm, he knew that at some point something like this would happen. “It’s…it’s alright”

“Don’t lie to me Teme, you’re angry” Naruto sounded heartbroken and Sasuke groaned. Yes, he was angry but not at Naruto. He knew that Nagato had played the situation into his favour and Naruto wasn’t to blame, the man was just trying to do what was right. “I’m sorry, I won’t hold it against you if you wanted to break up”

“Dobe…I don’t want to break up I’m just…frustrated. I knew that this wasn’t going to be easy and I’m grateful that you told me” It was the truth, most people would have tried to hide a situation like that and Naruto telling him only showed Sasuke how much Naruto cared for him.

“Are you…are you sure? I swear I didn’t kiss him back Sasuke, I couldn’t…all I could think about was you and how much it would hurt you…” That brought a smile to Sasuke’s face, it would kill Nagato to know that Naruto was thinking of him.

“Naruto, it was for show right? You’re pretending and sometimes things like that will happen and as long as I know that your heart is with me and not him then I can move past it. Does it hurt? Yes. But I knew what I was getting myself into and I can’t hold something like that against you” There was silence on the end of the line and Sasuke waited for his words to sink in before continuing. “The only person I can be angry at is Nagato for putting you in positions like that and I count down the days that we will be free to do as we please”

“I think…I think he knows about us Sasuke” it was barely a whisper but Sasuke still heard it “The journalist…she asked about us and we’ve been so careful…he had to have set it up right? To try a shake me or something”

“Naruto…would you come around tonight?” Itachi has sworn Sasuke not to tell Naruto about Madara’s plans but Naruto had a right to know what was going on. “There is something I need to show you”

“Yeah, sure…Are you sure we’re okay?” Sasuke brushed a hand through his black tresses as he wondered how the energetic blonde would take the information.

“Yes Naruto, I will explain everything tonight” The men said their goodbyes and Sasuke put his phone on the desk before looking at his watch. Itachi would be out of his meeting soon and he needed to ask his advice on how to approach the subject, he had never been very good at breaking bad news.

…………………..


	13. Trophy wife

Naruto’s hands shook as he held the papers in his hands. A range of emotions hit him wave after wave, disbelief written on his face. Never in his life had he been so shocked. He knew Nagato was planning something but he never thought he would go so out of his way to hurt him in such a cruel way. It made him sick to think of the man’s desperate plea’s to take him back knowing that he had an ulterior motive as the one he had in his hands, explained over numerous maps and papers. Naruto looked up from them, his jaw slack as he stared at his boyfriend, Sasuke.

“H-how…why…I don’t” Naruto’s lips trembled and he slammed the papers down on the table. “How could he do this to me!? How can anyone be so underhanded!?” Sasuke remained silent and Naruto continued “That narcissistic, selfish, greedy rat!”

“Are you alright, I know it’s a lot to take in” Sasuke inched towards him, wary of Naruto’s reaction.

“How long has he been planning this Sasuke!? It would take years for all these deals to go through! My marriage…my god…he knew how much this meant to me and the entire time he’s been planning to tear it to the ground!” Naruto stood up, pushing his seat back angrily “I can’t let him get away with this, I have to go see him”

“No” Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder and the blonde narrowed his eyes at him.

“How can you expect me not to Sasuke!?” The man smiled gently and pulled out his phone to check the time.

“Just calm down and then we can talk. Itachi has a plan but explaining it to you while you’re so irrational will be useless” Naruto remained still, weighing up the options in his head before speaking.

“I have to confront him Sasuke…I can’t sit back and play husband anymore” Sasuke placed his hands on Naruto’s scarred checks, staring him dead in the eyes.

“Naruto, we have a plan so please, just listen to it and then decide what you want to do. I can’t make this choice for you but I can give you an option” Naruto sat down and slammed his head down onto the table. Sasuke was right, he couldn’t be hot headed with this and he trusted the Uchiha brothers.

“I’m sorry Sasuke” Naruto whispered out. He wondered why Sasuke even bothered with him, surely the man wanted to be with someone less complicated.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Naruto” Sasuke looked angry and Naruto shrunk back “You didn’t ask for any of this”

“Didn’t I? I married a man that I obviously didn’t know! My stupidity brought this on me!” He grasped at his blonde hair, struggling with his thoughts “I’m an idiot Sasuke, an idiot with dreams that blinded me to the truth and because of that all those kids will have nowhere to go and then what will happen to them?”

“Shut up Dobe” Naruto lifted his head in shock, The Uchiha’s tone was cold and dripping with distain.

“Don’t tell me to shut up! We both know it’s true!” Sasuke marched over to him and lifted Naruto up by the scruff of his shirt. Naruto gapped at him, was he going to hit him?

“Yes, you are an idiot and yes you have these big, blinding dreams but don’t you dare think that you wanting to make the world a better place means that you deserve what that bastard is doing. Madara, Tobi…Nagato, they are to blame…them and their damn greed” Sasuke slammed his lips down onto Naruto’s and he was taken aback, surprised by the suddenness of the kiss. “You’re a dobe but you’re my dobe and we are going to work this out together”

“Why didn’t I met you first?” Naruto whispered out. Sasuke smirked at him and pushed Naruto back onto the table, scattering the papers onto the ground.

“Because fate is a cruel bitch” Sasuke climbed on top of the blonde and Naruto shuddered at how determined he looked. “What do I have to do to show you that you are worth it dobe, how can I prove to you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me”

“I’m sorry Teme” Naruto groaned out as Sasuke ground his hips into his.

“Stop saying sorry!” Sasuke leant down and nuzzled into the whimpering blondes neck, biting it hungrily. Naruto gasped, clutching his hands to Sasuke’s shirt. “You need to start seeing yourself for what you really are Dobe”

“A-and what’s that?” Sasuke sat up and fiddled with the button’s on the crumple shirt that hide Naruto’s body from his view.

“Nothing short of amazing” Sasuke began to undo the buttons one at a time, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes. “Do you hate it when I tease you?”

“Shut up and kiss me Teme” he growled out, wrapping his hand around Sasuke’s neck and bringing him down to eye level.

“Well, I see this conversation is going well” Naruto’s eyes widened and a dark blush rose on his cheeks. Sasuke remained on top of him, his head hung forward and a large sigh escaping his bruised lips.

“Itachi, this is the second time you’ve cock blocked me” There was an amused chuckled from the door way and Naruto pushed Sasuke off him gently, his hands quickly doing up his shirt.

“I can always come back later?” Sasuke opened his mouth to agree but Naruto spoke up quickly.

“No, I want to know this plan” Naruto straightened his hair and Sasuke pouted at him. “Don’t give me that look”

“Dobe” Sasuke sunk into the chair next to Naruto’s and Itachi sat across from them.

“Now, this is entirely up to you Naruto, we don’t do anything without your permission” Naruto leant forward but remained silent. He listen to Itachi intently, taking in each step of the plan, every aspect and sometimes giving Sasuke a wary look. He would agree to it, it was better than anything he could come up with but he was worried. Naruto found playing husband easy, if he thought about it he had been doing it all along with Nagato after a certain point but he wasn’t sure he could pull off what Itachi was asking of him. Naruto knew he was passionate, that his emotions betrayed him and Nagato had spent years with him, surely he would be able to tell. “Are you alright with this?”

“Yes…I’m just, I’m worried I will let you down. Nagato knows me, I’m scared he will see right through it” Sasuke grabbed his hand and squeezed it, reassuring him.

“I’m betting that over the past couple of years Nagato has lost touch with your emotional tells, if you play it right we can corner him” Naruto looked to Sasuke who didn’t look too pleased with the plan.

“What do you think Sasuke? Are you okay with me doing this?” Sasuke’s lips pursed but he nodded.

“It’s a good plan, I’m just worried about your safety” Naruto understood but he would risk it, he had to. His only other option would be to confront Nagato, throw the contract in his face and take the fall.

“I’ll, I’ll do it” Itachi nodded and stood up, looking down at his watch.

“Good, I’ll sort everything out on my end and let you know when it’s time”

………………………………………….

The airport was busy, people rushing around as they tried to quickly make their way to specific gates. A voice spoke across the system, directing people and calling any late comers. Some people stood around waiting for their loved ones to arrive, others were crying as they said goodbye. Naruto watched it all. A back pack slung over his shoulder for a carryon bag. He was always fascinated by airports. He found it a comforting place and also privileged to be allowed to see the rawness of emotions that occurred in each person.

Today though Naruto would give anything to not be here. It was grim this trip, he was already feeling isolated. He had spent the l previous night with Sasuke, discussing the plan and just enjoying the time he had with his boyfriend. It would be a week before he could contact him, it would be too risky with being in such close contact with Nagato. Naruto had a feeling that was the real purpose of this trip, so that his ex could keep a close eye on him and his interactions with those outside.

On top of the fact he had to spend a whole week with his ex he also would have to tolerate Orochimaru and Kabuto who had decided to tag along, stating that they had business in Amegakure no Sato and Nagato allowed them to come. That meant more eyes on him, more people watching his every move. That wouldn’t put Naruto off though, he would do as Itachi asked.

Naruto looked down at his ticket. He would meet Nagato on the plane. It was a private jet and the gate was at the far end of the airport. He was slightly late but he figured his lack of luggage would benefit him. Nagato had already packed some luggage for him, only giving Naruto the choice of a small carry on for personal items like his lap top. He really didn’t want to go but he forced himself towards the departure gate, ignoring the camera flashes that went off every now and then. _Of fucking course_ , he thought. Could he never escape paparazzi?

He kept his head low, handing over his boarding pass quickly and making his way into the departure lounge where his travel companions were. Naruto glared at them, refusing to say a word to the snake like man and his pathetic minion. When he looked at Nagato he force a small smile to his lips, remembering for their plan to work he had to play nice. His husband raised an eyebrow at the action and Naruto looked away quickly. He didn’t want to be too obvious or the man would call him on it.

“You’re late” Kabuto snapped, pushing his glasses up his nose and looking down on him. Naruto pursed his lips but bit his tongue. The plane ride would be long and fighting with Kabuto would just make it longer. “Busy with your boyfriend?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, it’s prohibited remember and if you must know I had to do a quick handover of my patients to my sub for the week” Naruto put his bag down on the floor and sat down on the couch, lounging backwards and staring at the roof. These people would be the death of him.

……………………………..

The plane was small but spacious. There were eight chairs. Four in the middle that faced each other and four behind them in rows of two. A small bar was near the back and two hostesses settled them in. Naruto took one of the back seats, trying to keep his distance but failing when Nagato sat beside him. The blonde took a deep breath, trying to keep his disgust hidden and the plan firmly in his mind. Naruto moved his hand at the same time Nagato did, causing it to brush against the other before pulling it away quickly and looking out the window, pretending that he was trying to hide a blush.

“Konan is excited to see you” It had been awhile since they had seen Konan and Yahiko. Naruto was actually excited to see them, he was hoping that maybe they could give him some insight into Nagato’s frame of mind.

“I’ve missed her” Naruto replied, giving Nagato a real smile for once. Konan and Naruto were close, usually when Nagato and Yahiko started talking business Konan would steal Naruto away and take him out. “How are they?”

“Good, Pregnant actually” Naruto’s face lit up brightly. He was so happy for them! They had been trying for a child for years and Konan had cried on his shoulder a many of times, scared that she would never become a mother.

“No way! Since when!” Naruto turned to him fully, his hand’s clasped together “They must be so happy! How far along is she? When is she due?”

“I’m not entirely sure, you’ll have to ask her” Nagato smiled. The politician took Naruto’s hands into his own and Naruto bit his lip at the touch, nerves kicking in. “I always wanted us to have children”

“I should buy her a gift, do you think she would like that?” Naruto pulled his hand’s away slowly, acting as if he was embarrassed when all he wanted to do was punch Nagato in the face. How dare he talk about children when he was about to ruin the lives of so many.

“I think that’s a lovely idea” Nagato looked disappointed at the rejection but his eyes were soft. Naruto smiled weakly and went back to staring out the window. At one time he had thought a lot about having children and he had even brought it up numerous times in his marriage but Nagato had always brushed him off, saying that it wasn’t the right time. Now Naruto didn’t know how he felt about it. He definitely wanted a future with someone else, preferably Sasuke but they we’re far too early in their relationship to broach the subject. “Naruto, I would like to use this trip to try sort things out between us”

“Oh…” He dug his nails into his hand and kept facing the window. Naruto knew his eyes would give away his anger

“Oh? That’s all you’re going to say?” Naruto flinched at the tone and let out a sigh, it really didn’t take much to piss off his ex and he was starting to doubt the plan. Was being here putting him in danger? What if Nagato snapped again? Panic welled up in him and Naruto turned his head to the door of the plane. It wouldn’t be too late, he could pick up his bag and demand to be let off. “I’ll leave you to think about it, I have business with Orochimaru”

Naruto nodded, swallowing thickly as Nagato stood up and moved to the front seats. He watched the man’s retreating back with narrowed eyes. Why was he so intent on getting him back? Sure there was the election to think of but after that he would be useless to the man so what was Nagato playing at? Did he really want him back because he loved him? Naruto let out a small scoff, of course he didn’t. Sasuke had shown him what love really was and compared to that his marriage just seemed to have been built on Nagato getting his way through lies and manipulation.

The nervous blonde suddenly became very aware of his position in Nagato’s life. He was a possession, one that hadn’t been let go willingly and for a man like his ex-husband he wasn’t done with something unless he said so. Naruto had seen it many times in the higher classed social circles. Trophy wives were switched out once the husband got bored or someone younger came along. If the wife tried to leave they left with their reputation in tatters or forced to stay until they had served their purpose. If someone else tried to take them there was entertainment in the challenge, sometimes even betting between the two men. Naruto sighed, that was it. He had been Nagato’s trophy wife and he had left before his time. Now the man was just trying to get him back so he could throw him away like a used toy.

Was he really so pathetic that he couldn’t see it before? It was so obvious! Nagato paraded him around as much as he could, made him cosy up to people he couldn’t stand and when Nagato was off ass kissing he was left like a lost lamb in a room of wolves. Only when someone would get to close to him would Nagato come back with his chest puffed out. Naruto wanted to hit himself for being so ignorant. He might as well have been wearing a collar like a dog and barking for treats when he wanted attention!

“Gentlemen will you please buckle your seatbelts, we are about to take off” One of the airhostess smiled, indicating to the sign above her head that was flashing orange. Naruto looked to the door one last time but clipped his belt shakily. He would get through this, he had to.

…………………………………….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short! Im at placement at the moment so have a ton of paper work to finish plus essays! I'll do my best to make the next one longer!


	14. How do you hug a pregnant woman!

Konan’s and Yahiko’s house was impressive. It stood at two stories, a white marble with two large pillars out the front. Naruto was in awe of it. Sure his house had been impressive but he had found it to overdone while the house he had just entered was grand but minimalistic. Naruto would have to ask Konan about the designer of it, noting that there was no way Yahiko had an input in it. The first floor had a small sitting room, a fully equipped chef’s kitchen with Remu counter tops and a small breakfast isle in the middle. A games room was situated next to the four car garage and a lounge with a gas fire place and leather furniture was to the left. Upstairs Naruto had counted at least five rooms, perfect for entertaining but small enough not to feel empty.

Orochimaru and Kabuto had gone their own way at the airport which Naruto was thankful for as he had been a few seconds from knocking that smug smile off the younger man’s face. It had irritated him, almost as if the white haired rat was suggesting he knew something Naruto didn’t. Orochimaru had paid barely any attention to him and Nagato had tried to make small talk, giving up when Naruto shied away from him in fake embarrassment.

Two arm’s wrapped around Naruto’s neck and a large belly held his friend at a length. Naruto gingerly hugged her back, fearful that if he squeezed her to hard he would hurt the baby. It felt so surreal hugging her. The blue haired woman stood back and gave him a once over, a frown setting in. Naruto sighed, she had amazing perception and it would be tough to get anything past her. Yahiko stood off to the side, greeting Nagato in an awkward embrace before patting him on the back.

“I can’t believe there’s a baby in there” Naruto whispered out, putting his hand on Konan’s stomach in awe. “How far along?”

“Thirty weeks today! Not much longer now!” she beamed back, looking down with a blissful smile “I’m so happy you’re here Naruto, I’ve really missed you”

“Me to Konan” The blonde replied. It was the truth really, even if he had to put up with Nagato for a week it would be worth it just to see her.

“Alright you two enough with the greeting, I bet these two are wanting to unpack and get settled before dinner” Naruto’s gut churned, how was he supposed to share a room with Nagato! “Naruto, your room is down the far end of the hall”

“What?” he stared at Yahiko as if he had grown an extra head, his jaw slack. Did they know?

“I told them” Nagato shrugged his shoulders and picked up his suitcase, handing it to him “I figured it would make you uncomfortable sharing a room”

“We really do need to sit down and talk about this Naruto” Konan glared “I’d been expecting you to at least call me to talk but nothing!”

“Sorry…” Naruto mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Just what had Nagato told them, did they make him out to be the bad guy in this situation? “It’s been a rough few months”

“I expect you to tell me everything tomorrow Mr!” Konan jabbed him in the chest causing him to wince.

“I think I’ll go have a nap, see you all at dinner” Naruto trudged past the group, his head dropping slightly. He had been so excited to see Konan and now he just wanted to hop back on a plane to his home and crawl into bed. There was no way Nagato had told them the whole story, Konan wouldn’t let Nagato step foot in her house if she did.

Growing up Konan had seen a lot of violence. Now she couldn’t stand it and any mention of it made her furious. If anyone she loved was hurt she was like a cold ice queen, almost like she switched herself off and it was truly frightening. There was no way Naruto would tell her the truth, not while she was pregnant. He would just have to come up with a dulled down version, one that would stop her from meddling yet was close to the truth. It would be hard getting it past her, there was no way he could full out lie so he would just have to...fudge the truth a little bit until she was happy with his answers.

Naruto opened the door to his room and placed his bags in the wardrobe before flopping down on the bed, a hand over his eyes and feet dangling off the end. He was no longer excited, he was regretful. Seeing Konan pregnant hit him hard and he felt so damn guilty for bringing his disastrous mess to her doorstep. Naruto would have to be on his best behaviour, there was no way in hell that he would stress out her in the condition she was in. For one he wouldn’t want to cause the baby stress and two Yahiko would have his head. If he could he would lock himself in this room and never come out but he had ‘obligations’. Naruto picked up his phone and flicked through the schedule for the trip, grimacing whenever a public appearance came up. He would need a lot of tolerance.

Quickly, Naruto typed a message to Sasuke, letting his boyfriend know he had landed safely without incident. It was the only contact he would have with him on this trip and he deleted it once it had sent properly, a whooshing sound confirming it. It was strange being away from Sasuke. Naruto hadn’t slept in a bed by himself for more than a few days let alone gone hours without talking to the Uchiha. He had become his rock. When Naruto doubted himself, Sasuke was there reassuring him. When Naruto became overwhelmed it was Sasuke who told him to pull his head in and snapped him out of it. When he was nervous it was Sasuke that held his hand and told him he could do it. Now Naruto was in a place which made him feel as if he was trapped with no Sasuke to keep him standing.

Naruto pushed himself off the bed. He couldn’t sit in this room any longer and wallow. It just made him feel anxious and he didn’t want to overthink anymore. It would just freak him out and he would jump on the first plane home. Naruto Uzumaki was not a coward. The blonde social worker made his way down stairs, stopping at the bottom as he decided what direction to go it. Konan was in the kitchen while Nagato and Yahiko we’re in the lounge. He could go help Konan, it would be nice to catch up with her and Naruto was more than happy to lend her a hand.

Naruto caught his name mentioned in the lounge though and he silently made his way towards the room. It was closed off but the walls were surprisingly thin and he could make out most of what they were saying. He leant forward, pressing his ear against the door and tried to make his breathing as quiet as possible. This is why he was here after all.

“Do you really think that is fair Nagato?” he heard Yahiko ask his ex-husband. The man sounded concerned and a little disappointed “This doesn’t sound like you at all my friend”

“Nothing is fair in this world, to get to where I need to be, Naruto is needed” Nagato brushed off his friend’s concern “Besides. He’ll get his money back. Madara has promised me more than enough to cover the amount Naruto invested in that shit hole”

“You and I both know Naruto could care less about the money Nagato. You’re going to hurt him if you haven’t already” Hope niggled in Naruto’s mind. He hoped that Yahiko could talk some sense into his friend “You use to be invested in it to, considering our back grounds. Isn’t that the reason you two got together in the first place?”

“I was blind back then. Sacrifices have to be made. I see that now” As quickly as it came Naruto’s hope dissipated “Once downtown is clear out of all the dirt then Madara can start developing the area. It will bring Konoha a lot of money”

“I regret introducing you to Madara, I didn’t think he would sink his clutches into you this much” Naruto heard footstep’s and the clinking of glasses. “Drink?”

“Yes please” There was silence for a minute before the sound of someone returning to their seat. “I can do more at the top then I can working in the trenches Yahiko. Naruto think’s fixing one kid at a time is the way to go but he doesn’t see that we we’re the lucky ones…the rest, they are just scum, criminals”

“And you think wiping out their homes will fix that? Where will they go?” _Yes Yahiko! Get him to think!_ Naruto screamed in his mind, holding himself back from bursting into the room and giving the man a hug.

“To the outskirt’s I guess. Who cares as long as it’s not in my city” Naruto pushed himself away from the door. He had heard enough.

The disappointed blonde wandered into the kitchen, his face sullen and his spirit down trodden. How had he let his ex-husband get this way? Surely it didn’t happen overnight. God he felt guilty for not seeing Nagato’s descent into that cold, narrow minded place he was in. Naruto had been his husband! He was supposed to notice when things were wrong! Tears welled up in his eyes, the responsibility hitting him. Nagato wasn’t the only person to fault for the failure of their marriage. At some point the both had stopped trying to make it work, that was obvious to him now.

“Naruto?” Konan looked down at him. Her eyes filled with worry as she peeled a potato at the sink “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing Konan, its just jet lag” he hated lying to her but he would never burden her in her condition.

“Been a rough few months?” Konan pressed, throwing the potato at him. Naruto caught it, laughing as she placed a knife in his other hand. “Help me out will ya”

“Course” He stood up and moved next to her. Konan peeled the potatoes while Naruto cut them and put them in the pot.

“I’m not angry…just so you know” His shoulders tensed “I saw it a while back. You and Nagato…you just didn’t seem to fit any more”

“How did you see it and I didn’t?” Naruto sighed. “He’s just changed so much”

“I guess money does that to a person… Politics is a nasty business, it changes even the best of men” Konan washed her hands under the tap and Naruto filled the pot with water before putting it on the stove. “Sometimes Naruto, two people start off with the same vision but as they grow and experience new things, so do their plans. Nagato went one way and you went the other. There is nothing to be ashamed about”

“I’m not ashamed, just…guilty I guess. Don’t get me wrong, as you said were two very different people now but…I always work so hard at everything I do and yet I let my marriage slip, I didn’t fight for it” Konan gave him a small knowing smile.

“If you knew what you know now, would you fight? It’s never too late” Naruto pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. If he had a choice right now what would he choose? Sasuke popped into his head and a small blush rose on his cheeks. He would fight for Sasuke, he would always fight for Sasuke.

“I would fight for the right person” he replied. Konan chuckled.

“I’m assuming Nagato isn’t the right person” Naruto froze. No one could know about Sasuke here. As much as he loved Konan, she was too close to Nagato. “Are you seeing someone?”

“No. I just…I meant…when I see a future it isn’t with Nagato. I don’t know who I see myself with, I’m staying single, especially while the campaign is on but I’m open to meeting someone new” Lies, lies and more lies! He had meet someone! Someone who made his world brighter and made Naruto feel like he was on fire from a mere peck on the lips. Sasuke made his stomach flutter with anticipation and his heart thump as if it was trying to keep in sync with the raven haired mans. His whole world revolved around Sasuke.

“As long as you’re happy Naruto. Speaking from a mother’s point of view…that’s all your parent’s would want for you” Naruto almost pulled Konan into a hug, still wary of how fragile she was. None of his friend’s had been pregnant before so he really had no clue if he could hurt her or not.

“You know Konan, for someone who hasn’t even given birth yet you have this mothering thing down already” The woman beamed up at him and she wrung her hands.

“You think? I’m really scared I’m going to be a terrible mother” Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, his mouth wide in a bright smile and he saw her visibly relax.

“Out of everybody I know Konan that would be a fantastic mother, it would be you” He was taken aback when she pulled him into a hug and he carefully placed his arms around her.

“Naruto, you’re not going to break me. It’s okay to hug me just don’t squeeze to tight!” she chuckled into his chest. Naruto mumbled a sorry under his breath and hugged her back properly. “Right, we have work to do!”

“What?” Konan winked at him.

“If you’re going to get a new boyfriend I need to teach you how to make a good old Sunday roast!” Naruto sighed. What had he gotten himself into?


	15. Unforgivable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so just a heads up, this chapter is a little bit dark and may be triggering so if anyone has issues with domestic violence it might not be okay to read. Much love to my readers!.

Naruto woke up the next day feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. He bounded out of bed and grabbed his clothes. He hurriedly put them on and used his fingers to brush out his hair then quickly made his way down the stairs taking two at a time. He skidded into the kitchen and breathed in deeply, sighing when the sweet aroma hit him. Konan made the best pancakes he had ever tasted and she had promised him last night that she would make them. He heard her giggle when she looked over to his eager face, his blue eyes bright and excited.

“I was expecting you to sleep in” she chuckled, placing a plate in front of him. Naruto thanked her and dug in, pouring syrup all over them so they we’re complete covered in the sticky, golden substance.

“Sleep in? With you making breakfast, no way!” A bit off food fell out of his mouth and he shoved another mouthful into his mouth. A low moan escaped his lips, he was in heaven.

“Chew properly, you look like a pig” Naruto snapped his eyes to the side, he hadn’t even realised Nagato was there when he came in. The comment stung and Naruto slowed down, cutting his food a bit more with every mouthful.

“Nagato!” Konan gasped, shocked with his tone. “Don’t talk to Naruto like that”

“I’ll talk to him however I like, if he eats like a pig I’ll call him a pig” Naruto pushed his plate away from him, his appetite dying quickly.

“What has gotten into you?” Konan shook her head disappointedly and gave Naruto a sympathetic gaze “I’m sorry for his bad manner’s”

“I’m used to it, thanks for breakfast” Naruto stood up, his shoulders slumped forward and he left the kitchen, stopping outside the door and he waited.

“That was horrible Nagato” he heard Konan berate. “He was just excited”

“He’s my husband and he needs to act like it” Nagato replied. Naruto clenched his fist’s, he was not that man’s husband anymore.

“Maybe Nagato that’s why he left you” The blonde was happy he had someone sticking up for him. It was a nice feeling.

“You don’t know a damn thing about it” Seriously? It was one thing to talk to him like that but Konan? Nagato was really further gone then he thought.

“Do you even want him back?” Konan wasn’t backing down and Naruto began to grow scared for her. He knew first-hand what happened when Nagato got angry “He was the best thing that ever happened to you and you’re treating him like shit”

“How I treat my husband isn’t any of your business Konan” There was a silence and then he heard Konan take a deep breath before speaking again.

“Naruto’s better off without you” a cup smashed and Naruto ran in to find Nagato standing up, a smashed cup beside him. Konan was staring at him wide eyed, her hands on her stomach.

“Nagato, calm down” Naruto ran over, putting himself on the line. If anything happened to Konan because of him he would never forgive himself.

“You bitch” Nagato seethed taking a step to the side.

“Nagato!” Naruto grabbed his arm and his ex-husband turned to him, his eyes ablaze. “Calm down, please. Think of the baby”

“This is all your fault, if she hadn’t stuck up for you then I wouldn’t be pissed off” Nagato grabbed him “Everything is your fucking fault”

“Yes, yes it is” Naruto flicked his eyes to Konan who was shaking but taking a step towards them, ready to intervene. Naruto shook his head, he could handle this “But you need to calm down, we don’t want anything to happen like last time…”

“You deserved it” That stung more than any physical harm could  but Naruto stayed firm, he would not let Nagato turn his anger back on his pregnant friend.

“How about we go upstairs and talk about this? Just me and you?” Something in Nagato shifted and he saw the man look towards the shaking, blue haired woman. His face softened quickly, realising is actions.

“Yeah, that sounds good” Naruto grabbed Nagato’s hand and pulled his grip off him and grabbed his free hand.

“Naruto…” Konan’s soft voice question, worried about his wellbeing. Naruto shook his head and gave her a small reassuring smile. Nagato was calming down, he would be fine.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs and chat” Naruto lead his ex towards his room. Nagato followed, remaining quiet. Naruto kept himself calm, he wasn’t sure what would happen but as long as Konan was fine he didn’t care.

“Naruto…” Nagato started as the blonde closed the door behind him “You can’t leave me”

“I’m…I’m not” Naruto warily stated, positing himself close to the door just in case.

“Yes, you are!” Nagato’s voice raised again “You’re fucking divorcing me!”

“Nagato, please, calm down” The red head began to pace, mumbling to himself and Naruto began to wonder why he was acting so erratically. “Please Nagato”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, I have every right to be mad!” Nagato stopped and turned to him. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and threw it at him “You’re just another dumb slut”

“Excuse me?” Naruto gapped. Nagato had never called him a slut before.

“You think I’m stupid, is that it?” Naruto went to run out of the room but Nagato was too quick. He grabbed him and threw him away from the door. Naruto yelled out as hit the floor, his elbow connecting first. “Look at it!”

“Look at what! You’re fucking crazy!” Nagato crouched down and picked up the paper that had fallen to the floor. He unfolded it the shoved it in Naruto’s face. His eyes widened. It was a photo of Sasuke exiting his building.

“Don’t lie to me Naruto, did he stay” What was Naruto supposed to say? Everything was riding on this, if Naruto admitted it he’d loose the shelter. “Are…you…fucking…him”

“No!” A fist connected with his jaw and Naruto yelled out, tears stinging in his eyes. Jesus, he hadn’t expected this when he woke up in the morning “He’s just a friend!”

“Bullshit!” Nagato grabbed his face roughly “How long Naruto”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Naruto coughed when a boot connected with his stomach and he gasped for breath. “Nagato! Please, I’m not seeing him!”

“You’re lying!” Naruto put his hands above his head, preparing for another kick “End it”

“I can’t! There’s nothing to end!” Naruto pleaded. He was tempted to just come clean but he was scared it would just get worse if he did.

“Is he more important to you then that fucking shelter you love so much?” Nagato seethed out. “Is he?”

“Nagato, please, stop this” Naruto whimpered when his stomach was kicked again.

“I’ll make you regret this Naruto” One last kick caused Naruto to scream out, he heard a loud crack of a rib and he rolled over, his chest heaving with the pain. He trembled and cradle his stomach, tears streaming down his face. What did he ever do to deserve this?

He remained where he was, Nagato was still standing over him and he was scared to move. Blood dripped down from the corner of his lip and his vision became blurry as the pain took over. Naruto willed Nagato to leave so he could somehow leave. He needed to get to a hospital. The door handle rustled behind them and there was a knock on the door. “Nagato…Is everything alright in there?”

“Go downstairs Yahiko, I’ll be there soon” Nagato’s voice was calm and Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He would be okay.

“Is Naruto in there? Konan’s looking for him” Naruto stopped himself from calling out, this was a dangerous situation and he needed to keep his ex-calm.

“Yes, he isn’t feeling to well so I’m just helping him into bed” the door handle rattled again “Everything is fine”

“Come out, I’m sure Naruto can look after himself” Nagato sighed and raised a finger to his lips before walking to the door and opening it, standing between Yahiko and Naruto “Come on, I’m heading into town”

“Alright, I’ll just freshen up” Nagato closed the door again and Naruto heard Yahiko sigh, his footsteps walking down the hall. Naruto cursed, he didn’t want to be alone with this monster. “Clean yourself up”

Nagato walked out and Naruto finally relaxed, he rolled onto his back and looked up to the ceiling. He was done. Fuck Nagato, he would not put himself through this again. They would have to find another way to save the shelter. Naruto pushed himself off the ground and limped his way out of the room, heading towards his. He didn’t need this shit, he didn’t deserve it. His relationship with Sasuke was none of Nagato’s business. He was happy and Naruto wasn’t going to let him end it. Naruto reached his room and grabbed his phone that was charging on the bed. He turned it on and flicked to Sasuke’s number.

…………………………

Sasuke was sitting with Itachi and Tsunade. They we’re closing the deal on their benefactor status of the shelter and he was excited. This was finally it, it was all official and that meant Uchiha Corporation would be involved if anyone attempted to sell it. This way Sasuke was certain they could find a better way. Itachi gave him a small smile as he signed the documents and then handed the pen over to him. Sasuke scrawled his signature and Tsunade clapped her hands together.

“Right, now that’s out of the way who’s keen to celebrate?” she pulled out a bottle of sake from under the table and Sasuke couldn’t help but smirk. Where the hell had she been hiding that?

“Why don’t we wait until Naruto is back? This is after all because of him” Itachi offered. Sasuke knew it was just because his brother was fond of drinking through the day and was trying to politely decline the alcoholic beverage.

“Yes, your right” The blonde, boisterous woman looked disappointed and she placed her head on her hand, a pout on her lips. Speaking of Naruto Sasuke heard his phone go off and he furrowed his brows. Naruto wasn’t supposed to be calling him at all. He excused himself and went to the corner before answering.

“Sasuke?” he heard a voice croak on the end of the line. Sasuke’s stomach dropped and his eyes widened.

“Naruto? Is everything alright?” A forced chuckle and then a chough was his reply “Naruto, talk to me”

“I think my rib is broken” Sasuke’s jaw clenched and he tried to remain calm “Actually, I think a few are”

“I’m coming to get you” Sasuke made eye contact with Itachi and his brother quickly stood up, alarm written all over his face.

“No, I’m going to the airport now” Sasuke could hear the rustling of clothes and a suitcase being zipped up “I just…wanted to hear your voice”

“Jesus Naruto” Sasuke rested his head against the wall. This was his fault, they had told him to go to try gather information. Naruto had assured them that he would be safe and it wasn’t even two days.

“I’m…fine” Sasuke chuckled, the dobe sounded like he was asking a question. “I may need the hospital though”

“What the hell did he do to you?” Itachi handed him his jacket and he put it on quickly, swapping the phone to his other hand. Sasuke walked out of the office, determined to keep Naruto on the phone.

“I’ll explain when I see you” Sasuke sighed, why was he being so difficult.

“I’ll have a plane ticket ready for you at the airport, just get there okay” Itachi pulled out his phone and began to make travel arrangements for the injured blonde. Sasuke was thankful his brother was with him or he would have lost it by now. The thought of Naruto being hurt and so far away was tearing him up inside.

“I’ll see you soon” the line disconnected and Sasuke cursed. Itachi gave him a wary look as they hoped into Itachi’s car.

“When is the flight?” His brother looked as guilty as Sasuke felt.

“Whenever he want’s. I put the jet on standby just in case” That was Itachi, always thinking one step ahead. Sasuke blew out a sigh of relief, now all Naruto needed to do was get there.

………………

Naruto rested against the wall, his suitcase pulling on his arm. It was hard to lug the thing to the front door while injured. He hoped Konan was to wound up, he didn’t want this to affect the baby. Naruto took a deep breath and continued down the stairs, stopping when he saw Konan standing at the bottom, car keys in hand. Her eyes were bloodshot from cry and a hand flew to her mouth when she saw him.

“Hey, I’m fine…” he grimaced as he said it. He must look like utter shit. Konan shook her head as tears began to spill out of her eyes. “Hey, don’t cry! You’ve got a kid in that belly of yours, don’t want to stress it out ya know”

“I-I’m so sorry Naruto. I-I had no idea!” Naruto let go of his bag and pulled her into a hug, being careful not to bump his bruised side “I’m so so sorry”

“Oi, quit saying that will you. It’s not your fault” Konan hiccupped and took a deep breath, pulling away from him. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Y-yeah. Yahiko has gone to set Nagato up at a hotel…I can’t have him staying here, not after…” She examined his face sullenly.

“Well, I have a plane booked so I’ll be out of your hair and you can go back to focusing on growing that kid” Konan laughed and held out the keys.

“Then I’m driving you” Naruto shifted slightly, unsure of getting her involved more then she already was. “I was going to take you to the hospital…”

“I have something set up on the other side, I just need to get out of here” Konan nodded in agreement and opened the door for him. Naruto grabbed his bag, happy he could finally wheel it. He placed it in the back, cringing when his torso stretched. Naruto really hope his rib didn’t do any damage to his lung. Naruto carefully angled himself into the car and Konan put it in reverse, speeding out of the drive way.

“Naruto, can I ask you something?” her voice was soft “How long…”

“Not long. He’s never done this before…I left him before he got the chance” Konan’s hands whitened as she gripped the steering wheel.

“How did this happen? I don’t” she stopped and tears threatened to pool out of her eyes again.

“Konan, Nagato needs help. He’s sick” she looked to him, shock written on her face. “I’m not sticking up for him. I’m just saying…he isn’t the same Nagato we know”

………………………..

Sasuke rushed to the hospital the second he got word that Naruto had landed. Itachi had organised for an ambulance just in case it was worse than Naruto led on. What he wasn’t expecting was the media vans that were parked outside. Sasuke was shocked, did they know? Surely they couldn’t. He hoped out of his car and pulled his hoodie over his head, hoping not to draw attention to himself. He slipped inside quickly and then headed up to the reception. The woman behind it looked thoroughly annoyed and he gave her a small smile.

“If you’re a reported go away” she snapped. Sasuke sighed and shook his head.

“I’m here to see Naruto Uzumaki” she pursed her lips and tried to shoo him away.

“I said no reporters” What the hell, didn’t this woman understand he was here to actually see him? “Name?”

“Sasuke Uchiha” She looked down at the clipboard in front of her and she gave him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, those vultures have been here the second they got wind of this. Your brother called ahead. Naruto’s on the fifth floor, ward 2” He nodded and took off running. Why was Naruto on a ward? Was he that bad?

Sasuke pressed the button to the elevator what seemed like a hundred times before it opened and he shuffled in with other visitors. He pushed the fifth floor button and when the door opened on his floor her took off. People yelled at him to slow down but he wouldn’t, not until he saw that Naruto was okay. Sasuke grabbed a nurse, startling her and he let go of her quickly. “Sorry, I’m looking for Naruto”

“Last door” she glared. Sasuke slowed his pace down, his heart betting faster with each step. He heard laughter as he neared the room then a curse.

“Naruto?” he asked, poking his head in. A mop of blonde hair turned to him and blue eyes met onyx. Sasuke gulped. Naruto’s right arm was in a sling and he had a seri strip on his lip. A dark bruise was formed on his cheek and his left eye was partially swollen. Naruto’s chest was bandaged and an IV drip was attached to his arm. “Jesus”

“Hey Sasuke!” Naruto giggled. Morphine, they had put his dobe on morphine.

“Explain, now” he sat down on the bed and grabbed Naruto’s hand in his “What did he do to you”

“I don’t think this is the best time to ask him, he’s high as a kite” Gaara grumbled from the corner. “I haven’t been able to get a straight answer out of him yet”

“Nagato did this right?” Gaara’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he nodded. “How did the press find out?”

“Someone at the airport took a photo of him. Dumb kid had no idea who it was but the media got ahold of it” Kids and their damn need to show off on social media. “No one knows what happened but it isn’t too hard to put together”

“Has Nagato been contacted?” Gaara shook his head and Naruto let out a small giggle, the blonde staring up at the roof and his eyes slightly glazed over. “How much did they give him?”

“Enough to knock out a damn elephant if you ask me” Gaara sighed and for once the staunch lawyer looked rattled “I’ve already put a protection order through and the hospital is aware of the situation”

“Good, I don’t want that prick anywhere near him again” Sasuke smiled when he heard Naruto’s soft snores and brushed a bang out of the blonde’s eyes. “This is my fault”

“This is Nagato’s fault” Gaara snapped. “He’ll pay for this, I’ll make sure”

“Well, at least he can no longer become mayor, this will fuck up his chances” Karma, that’s all Sasuke could think of. There was no way in hell that Nagato could spin this in his best interest.

“With Orochimaru by his side I’m not so sure. That guy is a snake” Sasuke shivered at the mention of the man. “He knows some pretty powerful people who can make this media storm go away pretty quickly”

“Then we don’t let them. Hell we will take Nagato to court if we have to, get him thrown in jail” Gaara snickered at the thought of that. It was a pleasing thought to Sasuke to.

“It is up to Naruto though…” Sasuke looked back to his sleeping boyfriend and frowned. He wasn’t sure if Naruto would push charges or not. Sasuke hoped he would but he was to kind hearted, to forgiving.

………….


	16. Statements

Naruto blinked his eyes open. One eye felt extremely stiff and he found it rather hard to open it all the way. He raised his hand and let out a hiss when he touched it, feeling it swollen and half shut. His good eye looked around and he noticed white walls and the smell of hand sanitiser. Hospital. How did he end up here? Naruto tried to push himself up to a sit but groaned and clasped to his side. Shit that hurt. Everything came flooding back to him with the pain and it took a moment for him to realise the seriousness of it all. Nagato had beaten him. Someone shifted next to him and he felt around until he found the bed controls and slowly raised himself to a sit. He smiled, wincing when it pull the cut on his lip. Sasuke was fast asleep on the seat next to him, the raven head of hair settled in his arms on the end of the bed. Naruto reached out and brushed the man’s bangs aside. It was odd seeing the duckbum hair so dishevelled. Sasuke must have been here awhile.

“Naruto?” a familiar, teary voice asked from the door way. The injured, fox like man looked over to where Sakura was standing, tears welling up in her eyes. “What happened?”

“Oh, this?” Naruto indicated to himself “It’s nothing, you should see the other guy” he tried to laugh but ended up groaning in pain.

“Don’t overdo it dobe” he heard Sasuke yawn “You’ve got a couple of fractured ribs, since they are used for breathing its best you try not to laugh” Well, that was impossible. The only way Naruto could see himself getting through this situation was by laughing. “Your arm’s broken too”

“Wow, didn’t expect it to be this bad” Naruto grumbled. When it had happened sure it hurt like a bitch but a broken arm? He wasn’t expecting that.

“Adrenaline does that” Sakura weakly smiled. She still hadn’t entered the room and Naruto waved her in.

“Seriously, now you’re shy?” he chuckled only to be rewarded by the same pain as before.

“What did I tell you dobe? No laughing” Sasuke’s voice was cold, almost like he was telling off a small child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Come on, lighten up” Sasuke did not look impressed with him in the slightest.

“Sasuke’s right Naruto, you could damage yourself further” Sakura sat down on the other side of the bed and assessed him. “I can’t believe he did this to you”

“Ah, yeah…he didn’t take to kindly to me being with Sasuke” The Uchiha sat up, his eyes wide.

“He did this because of me?” Naruto narrowed his eyes, angry at how Sasuke immediately looked stricken with guilt, he would not let his boyfriend take on that blame.

“No, this is no one’s fault but his” Naruto spat. “You’re what got me through it”

“Don’t be a sap” Sasuke replied, his voice soft and calming. Naruto gave him a small smile and grabbed Sasuke’s hand.

“I mean it, knowing you would be there when I got off the plane was what kept me going” Sasuke picked up his hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.

“Um, I’m not sure if you two are aware of this but Nagato is releasing a statement today” Really? Couldn’t that man just wait for a few weeks before doing damage control? Jesus, it’s not like Naruto could exactly stick up for himself while he was in here.

“Gaara’s on it already” Sasuke snapped. Naruto raised his eyebrow, careful to not irritate his bruised eyed.

“What do you two have planned?” Sakura looked nervous and Naruto grew concerned. He didn’t like being left out of decisions and something big seemed to be going on.

“Do you trust us Naruto?” She asked.

“You know I do” he replied, slightly shocked she would even ask that.

“Then you need to let Gaara handle this. This is his area, he’s done this a million times and well…your way hasn’t exactly worked” Naruto hung his head, ashamed he had put those he loved through this. So many times he had seen battered victims, felt the anger and hopelessness when they came in battered and bruised and here he was, in the exact same position as those he fought to help.

“Okay” Sakura was right. He had tried to do things his way and all it caused him was a trip to the hospital and a media shit storm.

“Naruto, we want you to press charges” Sasuke was blunt with his words “I can’t…no…we can’t see you like this again”

“I know Sasuke” his boyfriend looked relieved “Did you really think I could let him get away with doing this to me?”

“I don’t know…” he looked ashamed and Naruto sighed. “You’re to kind sometimes Naruto”

“I have my limits Sasuke and ending up in hospital is one of them” They fell into silence “I guess I should explain what happened?”

“Yeah, that’ll be good” Sakura replied.

Naruto took in a deep breath, wondering where he should start. Sasuke would probably tell him off for being such a hero now that he thought about it “We’ll he was being a real dick at breakfast which isn’t anything unusual. Konan made pancakes, seriously those are some fantastic pancakes, you really need to try them Sasuke”

“Naruto…” he warned. The blonde man sighed, his nerves getting the better of him.

“Well, Konan started to stick up for me so I left because Nagato was being pretty nasty. I…waited by the door, worried ya know. Konan’s pregnant and I didn’t want Nagato to upset her cause babies get stressed if the mothers get’s stressed…well. Konan told Nagato I was better off without him and I heard a cup smash so I ran in” Naruto looked to Sasuke who was listening intently “He was going to hurt her, I knew he would so I stopped him. Told him to come upstairs so we could talk…I figured better me then her”

“What the hell Naruto, you know better than that! You should have called the damn police!” Sakura whacked him in the head gently and Sasuke shot her a glare.

“I know but there wasn’t enough time and as I said Konan’s pregnant. Well we went upstairs and he just lost it. Told me I couldn’t leave him and then when I went to leave he shoved me, no threw me to the floor. He shoved this photo in my face, of Sasuke leaving our apartment and then he started screaming at me. Asking me if I was…fucking Sasuke. He hit me then started kicking me. I refused to tell him anything and then Yahiko knocked on the door and convinced him to go and then well, you know the rest, I rung Sasuke and here I am” He forced a small smile. “There you go kids, story time’s over”

“Naruto, this isn’t a joke” Sasuke grumbled out. His boyfriends hands were clasped tight onto the bed and his shoulders were shaking.

“I know that, I just…don’t know how else to deal with this” Naruto looked down at his hands “It was terrifying Sasuke, being beaten like that. If Yahiko hadn’t come I don’t know what would have happened but…better me then Konan”

“Naruto, you have to promise me you’ll press charges” Sasuke looked up at him desperately. Naruto grimaced, how could Naruto not promise his boyfriend that.

“Sasuke, I promise” Sakura cleared her throat and the two men looked over to her.

“I sort of…called them already. Iruka should be here once he’s freed up” Iruka? Their high school teacher?

“But…isn’t he?” Sakura smiled brightly.

“Not anymore, he’s just been made detective to” Naruto wanted to jump up and down. Iruka had been a mentor to him all through high school, when others had given up on him the kind teacher had pushed him to keep going.

“Way to go Iruka, oh fuck” Naruto had yelled a bit too loudly and his ribs pulled painfully.

“Do you need more painkillers?” Sasuke ask, jumping up quickly. Naruto waved and shook his head “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right in a moment” Naruto put his head back onto his pillow and took small shallow breaths.

“Nagato should be on now…” Sakura said, her tone unsure “Do you…want me to turn it on?”

“Yeah, I want to see what that asshole has to say” Sasuke sneered. Naruto nodded in agreement.

Sakura turned the small box on the wall on and flicked to the right channel. Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s hand again, squeezing it tightly. This would be hard. A news reporter came onto the screen to introduce it and the camera switched to a podium. Orochimaru stood at it, Nagato was standing next to him, his face completely blank.

“We are here today to address the rumours that my client Nagato Gakure has been involved in a physical altercation with his husband Naruto Uzumaki. These rumours, while have some ground are merely an act of passion. My client has recently been under various stressors due to his campaign and it had come to his attention that Mr Uzumaki had entered into an affair with one Sasuke Uchiha. My client then…respectably of course…confronted Mr Uzumaki and a scuffle occurred. My client is deeply apologetic for his actions and in no way takes responsibility due to the events leading up to this occurrence. As his representative I believe that he was unaware of his actions due to finding out about this affair and responded in a manner that any, self-respecting man would. From this point onwards we will be answering no more question in relation to this incident and we wish Mr Uzumaki a speedy recovery”

The screen faded to black and the reported came on, blabbing about new evidence of Naruto’s ‘affair’. Sakura looked to Naruto warily, waiting for him to respond. The blonde man sighed and then a smile grew on his face. A booming laugh left his lips and he found himself in hysterics. He didn’t care that it hurt, he just couldn’t believe how ridiculous it had sounded. Did Nagato really think that he could spin that? “Naruto?”

“I’m fine” he chocked out, trying to calm himself down. “If anyone believes that bullshit their idiots”

“Gaara’s up next” the three of them turned back to the screen. Gaara looked slightly irritated but he remained calm.

“As you have been made aware my client, Naruto Uzumaki, was assaulted by his _ex_ -husband two days ago” Sasuke chuckled when Gaara emphasised the ex part “My client and Mr Gakure have been separated for some time and out of respect for his ex-husband’s political career he decided to continue his support publicly at the request of Mr Gakure. I hold the divorce documents in my hand and these will be available to the media by request. These papers were filled on February second. You will find that the cause of separation was spousal abuse. This incident was not reported to the police but I have personally provided the police with evidence at the time of the assault. My client has yet to press charges but with the support of his friends and current partner Mr Uchiha, whom I might add his involvement with my client only started after the papers were filled, will go forward with this action. As this is now a police matter any information about this incident will now be withheld from the public. Good day” 

“Holy shit” Naru gapped. Gaara was a badass, he had no idea his friend had even began to process the divorce. For once in his life Naruto was glad his friend was slightly underhanded. “Sneaky little”

“You didn’t know?” Sakura laughed. “I thought he had told you!”

“That he had put the divorce papers through? Hell no, I thought we weren’t doing that after! And the spousal abuse part, remind me not to piss Gaara off ever” One thing Naruto was confused about was the evidence he spoke of.

“He took a photo when you weren’t looking and took it to the police, they couldn’t do anything with it until you came forward but they have it on file along with the photos they took when you came in. Gaara’s also handed over the medical report, all their waiting for is your statement” Naruto nodded rather numbly, suddenly this all felt way too much for him. “Do you need some sleep?”

“Yeah, that would be good. You should go home and get some sleep to Sasuke” The pale man had dark bag’s under his eyes and he was gaining a bit of stubble on his smooth face. Naruto wondered what he would look like with a beard and chuckled, maybe one day he could convince him to grow it out.

“Are you sure? I don’t really want to leave you alone” Naruto nodded. Sasuke was exhausted, he didn’t need to be a doctor to tell that.

“Go, I’ll be fine, Iruka will be here soon and I would rather do this myself” He really didn’t but there were some thing’s he didn’t feel comfortable discussing in front of Sasuke.

“No, you’re not talking to the police without me dobe” Naruto looked to Sakura for help, he wasn’t in the mood to argue as he was certain raised voices would probably induce a flash back. Damn, he was a prime candidate for post-traumatic stress syndrome right now.

“Sasuke, Naruto knows Iruka. He won’t push him into talking about anything he isn’t comfortable with” she was gentle with her persuasion “Iruka is like a father to Naruto, he will look after him”

“I’m not happy about it but if you say you’ll be alright I’ll believe you” Sasuke stood up and Naruto felt a protectiveness come over him.

“Have you eaten at all teme!” Sasuke shrugged “Go home, have some food and have a damn shower. If you come back here tonight I’ll get out of this bed and kick your ass back home”

“I’d like to see you try dobe” Naruto lowered his bed down, glaring at Sasuke as he did it and ignoring the pain it caused him. He would not let Sasuke’s health suffer, it was bad enough Naruto was in hospital, he didn’t need Sasuke in here to. “See you tomorrow then?”

“I’ll be here” Sakura stood up as well and gave him a small cuddle.

“I’ll come visit you after my shift tonight, maybe I’ll sneak you in some ramen”

……………………

Iruka Umino was a kind man. Not many people saw him angry so when he stormed into his office, face as red as a tomato and cursing under his breath people tended to stay out of his way. He couldn’t believe it when Sakura had rung him. Naruto, his Naruto. The kid he had made sure got through high school and made something of himself was in hospital and that damn husband of his had put him there. Iruka couldn’t believe it at first. Not Naruto, anyone but Naruto. He had gone through more than enough in his life. Iruka grabbed his coat and his keys, he knew he was too close to this but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to risk any cop on Nagato’s payroll screw this up.

Iruka had known for a while something fishy was going on. Too many times cases had gone missing. He started to notice it revolved around the area the shelter was. Elderly people came in complaining of vandalism only to be shrugged off with a ‘we’ll check it out’. Kids we’re being intimidated and then out of nowhere the cases disappeared and the people had moved out of the area. It had niggled at him for a while but after what happened with Naruto, Iruka was certain Nagato had something to do with it. He didn’t have any proof but his gut was telling him the boy was in the middle of something big.

Iruka ignored Mizuki who was yelling at him, asking him to come with. Out of every cop on the force Mizuki was the one he trusted the least. Something about the man was just…off. Iruka hopped into his car and turned the siren on, speeding off towards the hospital. When he pulled up he inwardly groaned. This place was a damn circus. Media vans we’re blocking emergency entrances, reporters hung around outside. He would have to deal with it later, they we’re encroaching on people’s privacy as well as potentially stopping people from getting help.

Iruka made his way to the ward Sakura had given him and went straight to Naruto’s room. His ex-student looked worse for wear and Iruka resisted hugging him. He need to be professional or he would be taken off the case. Iruka pulled a file out from under his arm and sat down on the empty chair next to the bed.

“Long time no see” Naruto joked. Iruka gave him a small smile. Naruto was trying, he could see that but it was pretty obvious the man was barely keeping himself together.

“You’ve seen better days haven’t you” Naruto lifted his hand and switched the TV off, turning his full attention to him. “Now I’m just letting you know I’m here in a professional manner, I cannot do or say anything that may suggest coercion so I need you to keep on track and keep this strictly business”

“Got it” Iruka pulled out his work phone and found the voice recorder, putting it on the side table.

“Interview with Naruto Uzumaki commencing on the fifth of July. Detective in charge is one Iruka Umino and time is four fifteen pm” Iruka pulled out a photo from the file in his hand “Is this you Naruto?”

“Yes” the man replied, looking over the photo he had been shown, a sad look on his face.

“Can you please explain to me what happened on the day you acquired this injury” Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to recall what happened.

“It was the night of a fundraiser. Nagato and I got into an argument and I decided to leave early. I had forgotten my wallet at home so I tried to call him. Nagato wouldn’t answer so I ended up walking home” Iruka pursed his lips “I think I got home sometime after one. Nagato was still up and we started talking. I can’t remember what we we’re talking about but I got upset and told him that a parent figure of ours would be ashamed of him”

“This person was Nagato Gakure?” Iruka questioned, wanting to clarify who they we’re talking about.

“Yes, my husband at the time” Iruka nodded and Naruto continued “Nagato hit me”

“Open hand or closed fist?” Naruto’s hand flicked to the photo again.

“Closed fist” Iruka nodded again and put the photo away.

“What happened after that?” It was pretty straight forward and so far Naruto seemed to not have any issue answering the questions

“I ran upstairs and slept in the spare room, when I woke up in the morning Nagato wasn’t home” Naruto grabbed a glass of water and took a sip

“Is there anyone that can collaborate your story?” god Iruka really hoped so.

“Gaara Sabaku, I saw him the next day and he took that photo” Iruka hoped that didn’t work in Nagato’s favour. Gaara being Naruto’s lawyer could stop him from being a credible witness and he wouldn’t be able to be called to the stand.

“Besides this event were there any other instance’s that Nagato Gakure placed his hands on you” Iruka was begging in his mind for Naruto to say no.

“I don’t know if it counts but he’s grabbed me roughly a few times. Once when I gave him the divorce papers and another time in a limo” For fuck sakes, Iruka was starting to get angry. The detective took a deep breath before beginning again.

“Now, before we go over the recent incident I would like to offer you a chance to stop and take a break” Naruto shook his head “I need you to say that into the phone Naruto”

“I don’t want to take a break” Iruka pulled out some pre prepared questions.

“Where were you on the day of the assault” Naruto looked uncomfortable.

“Will they be questioned?” Iruka nodded “I don’t want to upset Konan any more then I have”

“Is she a witness to the assault?” Naruto nodded “Sorry Naruto you really need to voice your answers”

“Yes, Konan and Yahiko we’re present in the house” Iruka was confused by how hesitant Naruto was being. “Konan’s pregnant, I’m worried about the stress”

“Ah, I see. We will make sure that we take great care when interviewing her and her partner. The trial, if there is one will not commence until the investigation is done and that may take a while if you’re worried about that” Naruto looked visibly relieved. “Can you tell me how this started?”

“I woke up and went downstairs for breakfast. Konan was making pancakes and I may have…not eaten in the nicest way” Iruka held back a laugh, he knew exactly how messy Naruto could be “Nagato made a comment about me eating like a pig and Konan stuck up for me. Nagato got defensive and he continued to belittle me”

“Do you remember what he said?” Naruto rubbed his thumbs together.

“Just called me a pig again, said if I was going to eat like one then he would call me one” Iruka remembered many occasion’s Naruto becoming self-conscious about how he ate. The boy didn’t realise he did it, he was just so use to scoffing food back due to him appreciating good food after living off instant ramen. “After that I left the room and waited by the door in the hallway”

“Why did you do that?” Iruka found that odd, if he was going to leave the room why would he wait around.

“It didn’t feel right, leaving Nagato in the room with Konan. I was worried about her” Ah, that made sense.

“Did you feel he would harm Konan” Naruto took in a shaky breath and went to nod but then quickly remembered he had to talk.

“Yes, Nagato seemed…off that morning, nastier then usual” Iruka nodded again, encouraging Naruto to keep going again “They were talking about me, Konan wasn’t happy about how Nagato talked to me and then she said that I was better off without him. I heard a cup smash and I ran in. Nagato was shaking, I could tell he was angry so I stepped in, took the attention off Konan”

“That was brave of you” Naruto laughed.

“Stupid you mean” Iruka had always admired Naruto for his sense of right and wrong. He would always put himself in danger if it meant helping someone else “I convinced Nagato to go upstairs, I told him we would talk. I wanted to get him away from Konan”

“Is that where the assault took place” Naruto began to shake and Iruka offered for them to take a beak but Naruto declined.

“Nagato said that I couldn’t leave him, I said that I wouldn’t, I was just trying to say whatever I could to keep him calm so I could leave the room. He then yelled at me, said that I was because I asked for a divorce. He then called me a dumb slut and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket” Naruto took another sip of his water “I tried to leave the room but he grabbed me and threw me away from the door. My elbow took the brunt of the fall”

“And that’s when your arm was broken?” Iruka somehow managed to keep the anger out of his voice.

“Yes. After he opened it I saw that it was a photo of Sasuke Uchiha, my boyfriend, leaving my apartment that I own with Sakura Haruno. He asked me if I was fucking him, excuse my language. I said no and he punched me in the face” Naruto raised a hand to his eye and winced.

“Why did you say no?” Naruto shifted slightly.

“I had agreed that I wouldn’t date while he was campaigning but Sasuke and I decided to give it a go anyway, away from the public eye. I was afraid if I said yes it would get worse” Iruka knew Naruto wasn’t telling him something but he didn’t want to push it. If Naruto didn’t think it was relevant then it wasn’t worth exploring.

“And your relationship with Sasuke Uchiha, that started after you filed for divorce?” Naruto blushed.

“Yes, we had grown close after he had visited the shelter once. It was a good month or so after” Iruka felt sad, people would judge Naruto for moving on so quickly.

“That was rather fast” Naruto gave him a questioning look, a bit thrown by the question.

“Nagato and I had been growing apart for a while, when he first hit me I was already done with the marriage. If you think about it that way it was if we had been living separate lives for years” Iruka decided to get back on track. The only reason he asked was so that Naruto wouldn’t be thrown under a bus in court.

“So, after he punched you what happened?” Naruto’s hand went to his ribs and Iruka wanted to give him a hug.

“He kept asking about Sasuke, things like how long I had been seeing him and telling me to end it. I kept telling him I wasn’t seeing Sasuke. Nagato kicked me three times in the ribs and then Yahiko tried to open the door. He convinced Nagato to leave with him. I dragged myself to my room and packed my bag. It hurt so much, I’m not sure how I managed it. I called Sasuke while I was packing. He set up my flight back for me and the ambulance I think, it could have been Itachi, you’ll have to ask them” Iruka quietly stood up and went to the window, staring out at it as he tried to calm himself. Naruto didn’t say a word knowing that he couldn’t be a friend right now.

“Has Nagato Gakure tried to contact you within the past seventy two hours” he eventually sat down, feeling a lot more at ease now that the main part was over.

“No. My lawyer, Gaara put through a protection order” Iruka picked up his phone.

“Interview with Naruto Uzumaki ended five forty five pm” he turned the phone off and put it back in his pocket. He wanted to hug Naruto, he really did but he couldn’t risk it.

“It’s okay, I understand. I’m okay Iruka, if I’m honest it feels good, getting this all out. I’ve been so scared and I should have done this the first time. You know me though, stubborn till the end”

“That not funny Naruto” Iruka picked up all of his things. “Stuff it, come here” he engulfed Naruto in a hug, being careful of his injuries “I’m going to nail this bastard Naruto, I won’t let him get away with this.

“I know Iruka” The older man stood up and placed a blank face one. He had a mayoral candidate to question.

 


	17. Obito Uchiha

Iruka sat across from Orochimaru, a grim frown on his face as the snake like man hummed to himself. Nagato sat next to him, his legs crossed and looking towards the door of the interrogation room. No one had spoken for at least ten minutes. Nagato refused to answer any of his questions and Orochimaru had spent most of the time asking Iruka questions himself. It wasn’t until the door opened and Mizuki walked in that Orochimaru spoke again and Iruka felt as if he had been kicked in the guts.

“I’ve requested for you to be supervised on this case Inspector Umino as my client and I are well aware of your connection to the complainant. I would have you removed from the case completely but your chief has promised me that he has checked your interview with Naruto Uzumaki himself and found no discrepancies. I will warn you though, if you act in any manner that is unprofessional I will request to have you stripped of your detective status” Iruka paled and nodded, his hand’s shaking under the table. He couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. Iruka had acted on instinct that day and when he had got back to the office he immediately went to Chief Danzo and explained the situation. The stern man hadn’t been happy but after listening to the tape himself he had begrudgingly agreed to keep Iruka on the case as long as he re interviewed Naruto with Mizuki. As much as Iruka hated it he had agreed. He had a feeling that if he didn’t keep an eye on things it would be swept under the rug or sabotaged.

“I understand. Now that my partner on this case is here are you willing to answer my questions?” Nagato nodded and unfolded his legs. “Now, as a few incidents have been noted down I would like to start from the beginning rather than the most recent one to gather a picture, are you alright with this?”

“I am” Nagato stated. Iruka nodded and picked up his notes, pulling out the photograph that Gaara had provided.

“This photo show’s physical harm to Naruto Uzumaki. Mr Uzumaki has made a statement saying that this was due to an altercation with you, may you please explain the details of that night to us” Nagato reached out and took the photo from him, frowning as he stared at it.

“I don’t remember this” He replied, handing it back. Iruka pursed his lips and nodded.

“It was after a fundraiser. Mr Uzumaki’s statement says that he left early and when he arrived home it was past midnight” Nagato nodded “It’s stated that you exchanged words and after a heated argument you struck him”

“Mmm. That sound’s right. It was about Jiraiya if I remember properly. We are both dealing with our grief from losing such a prominent figure in our lives. I had no intention of hurting him” Orochimaru gave Nagato a sideway glance and the red head nodded “It was a slap, nothing more”

“That’s understandable. Things are done in the heat of the moment, that’s normal” Mizuki injected, waving off the incident. “Best we overlook that don’t you think Iruka?”

“We will move on. The incident that put Mr Uzumaki in the hospital. Will you please take us through that day” Nagato sighed as if he was in a boring business meeting rather than a police interview.

“We we’re visiting my childhood friends. Naruto and I had been discussing our plans to move forward, kid’s and all that” Iruka held back a glare. There was no way Naruto would ever do that “I was under the impression we were on the road to fixing our marriage. Orochimaru’s assistant has been following Naruto”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why were you having Mr Uzumaki followed?” Iruka asked, concern growing in him. “If you two were divorcing there would be no need”

“Protection. I was worried about paparazzi” _more like worried about your reputation_ , Iruka thought. “Orochimaru had sent me a photo of Sasuke Uchiha leaving the residence of Naruto and his friend Sakura”

“Is it possible that Mr Uchiha was there to visit Miss Haruno?” Mizuki asked, writing down his own notes.

“No, as far as I’m aware they do not know each other” Nagato snapped. “As I was saying, Orochimaru provided me with proof of Naruto’s affair”

“Naruto’s lawyer has stated you two were separated when their relationship had started” Iruka snapped back. He would not let Nagato play the victim.

“Until I sign the papers Naruto is still my husband Inspector Umino and until I have decided that it cannot be fixed I will continue to stay married to my husband” Iruka paled slightly. “Now, may I continue or will you interrupt me again?”

“Its normal procedure Mr Gakure, we need to gather all facts related to the case to ensure each side of the story is told” Mizuki replied looking unfazed. Nagato nodded and continued.

“I must admit I could have handled things a bit better. The argument in the kitchen was nothing more than my frustration’s” Mizuki looked through Naruto’s statement record and Iruka kept silent. He needed to calm himself down.

“Mr Uzumaki has stated he felt that you would injure…Konan” Nagato let out a loud laugh. “Is this true?”

“I would never lay a hand on Konan! Naruto was probably just worried about her stress levels, she’s pregnant you see” Mizuki nodded and Iruka frowned. Nagato was smooth with his words and he was twisting things against Naruto. “Naruto rushed in and asked me to go upstairs with him and that’s when I confronted him”

“This is when the assault happened?” Mizuki asked.

“Assault is such a harsh word. It was more of a…push I guess” Iruka began to trembled and grabbed Naruto’s hospital report.

“Mr Uzumaki sustained a number of injuries including a broken arm and fractured ribs. This seems to be more than just a push Mr Gakure. I would advise that you do not lie to us” Nagato sighed and looked to Orochimaru.

“My client will say nothing further on the altercation” Orochimaru stated.

“Then your client is hindering a police investigation and I am able to hold him for forty eight hours” Orochimaru smirked again.

“Are your personal feelings getting the better of you Mr Umino?” Iruka took a deep breath before continuing.

“Mr Gakura it is in your best interest to cooperate with us. As it stand’s the information we have points in a very negative light for you. This interview is to gather your side of the story, withholding information not only puts you in a bad light but it also stop us from offering any factual evidence that could benefit you if this goes any further” Iruka kept calm but he knew damn well they we’re trying to push him so that he would be forced off the case.

“If you insist” Nagato yawned “I don’t remember much. I blacked out due to the emotional stress of finding out about my husband’s affair. I’m currently under a lot of stress and it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I lashed out in a moment of passion, I can’t give you any more detail than that as my memory of what happened is very little” Orochimaru stood up, indicating that the interview was over. “We must be going now, I have to do a bit of damage control for my campaign due to all this nonsense”

“As you wish, we may need to pull you back in for further questioning Mr Gakure” Mizuki smiled and stood up to shake the candidates hand.

“Of course, I’m willing to provide any information I may remember, this is just as taxing on me as it is on your department’s…financial resources” Iruka sighed. This man was a snake. He knew exactly what buttons to push and when.

“Mr Gakure, it is my duty to advise you to not contact Mr Uzumaki, as you are aware of there is a protection order in place and we take breaches of it very seriously” Nagato turned to glare at Iruka and took a step towards him.

“If I want to see my husband _detective_ , I will see him. No flimsy piece of paper will stop me” the man snarled. “Not you, nor this pathetic excuse of a department will stop me. Naruto and I have a contract, one which I know he will stand by” Orochimaru grabbed the man’s arm quickly as Iruka raised an eyebrow.

“Contract? What contract would this be Mr Gakure?” Nagato paled slightly before pulling his arm out of his lawyers grasp and storming out of the room, muttering under his breath. Mizuki looked to Iruka and shook his head.

“You know. I thought the blonde kid deserved it. Cheating is a pretty shit thing to do but it’s pretty obvious that guy has a temper” Mizuki picked up the hospital report and flicked through it “This case is such a waste of resources”

“It’s an assault case Mizuki” Iruka snapped.

“Yeah, I know that but…there two guy’s. So what, they bet each other up a bit, no biggie” the man shrugged “Sound’s like Uzumaki is just playing it up since that guy’s in the public eye. Gain a bit of sympathy ya know”

“Keep your personal thoughts to yourself Mizuki. If you can’t keep professional get off my case” Iruka grabbed up the files and stormed out of the room. How dare Mizuki accuse Naruto of trying to gain attention! Naruto was kind and loving, he didn’t deserve someone he trusted and loved beating the crap out of him! Iruka went to his desk and turned on his computer. He needed to write up the interview and hand it over to Danzo before the end of the day. Mizuki followed him, sitting across from him.

“What do you think he meant by contract?” For once, Mizuki’s nosiness was welcomed. Iruka hadn’t even processed Nagato’s slip up as he had been too angry with Mizuki’s opinions.

“Who knows, worth looking into though” Iruka handed Mizuki a number “Call this number and see if you can dig anything up on it” His partner nodded and Iruka went back to his work. Sure the number as a wild goose chase but Iruka figured Mizuki was trying to hinder his process on this case so enough holes could be put in it to have it thrown out. By distracting the man he could do the real work and that meant chasing every lead he had.

……………………………….

Naruto groaned. He hated this! The blonde was standing off to the side of the hospital, huddled behind a pillar as he peered out the doors. Reporters were everywhere! All Naruto wanted to do was to get home, crawl into bed with a cup of instant ramen and watch tacky, reality TV shows. His body ached, his arm was in a cast that was supported with a sling and his face was still a mess. Sasuke had yet to show up and Sakura had to run off to an emergency so he was left in the cafeteria to wait for his boyfriend. People walked pasted him whispering lowly and his face dropped. How was he supposed to get out of this place with that hoard out there acting like a pack of lions jumping on a poor defenceless antelope!

Naruto sighed and went back to his seat in the café. He was desperate to get out of this place. It had been a few days, the doctors we’re no longer concerned about possible concussion, his ribs were healing slowly and his arm was set for a good few weeks. Naruto didn’t like hospitals, he avoided them as much as he could since Jiraiya’s passing. He shuddered at the thought. It was hard thinking about the old perv now. His god father would be so disappointed in him. The whiskered scarred man put his hand under his chin and swirled the now cold coffee in front of him.

“Is this seat taken?” a smooth voice asked. Naruto went to answer but a man slipped into it with waiting for it. “Naruto right?”

“Uh…yeah…” Naruto replied cautiously. Something about this man felt so familiar to him but not in a comfortable way. He narrowed his blue eyes to inspect him. The man was in a suit, a blue tie clashing with the red top underneath. His hair was spiked up slightly and the colour was a dark onyx, like Sasuke’s. Naruto’s eyes widened a fraction at the thought. The man had a vague resemblance to the Uchiha brothers except for the fact half his face was scarred.

“Obito Uchiha” the man held out his hand and smiled. Naruto felt his gut clench, the smile looked so fake. He didn’t take his hand and the man grimaced, pulling it back. “I see my distant cousins have told you about me”

“No…not really” Naruto’s replied was drawn out “Do you want something from me? You’re not a reporter are you?”

“No, not at all. I just represent a certain party that is following your affairs closely” A coffee was placed in front of Obito and Naruto got the sense he wasn’t leaving anytime soon “You see, all this divorce business has really tied up the purchase of a property the client I work for is wanting and I’ve come here in hopes you may convince your lovely boyfriend and his brother to pull sponsorship”

“You’re after the shelter?” Naruto tensed and sat up straight. “You work for Madara”

“Ah, I see you have heard of him…all good news I hope” Obito chuckled. “Then again, it is Sasuke and Itachi you have gotten your information from so I doubt that”

“The shelter isn’t for sale” Naruto replied bitterly. “I suggest you leave as we have nothing further to discuss”

“No? What a pity” Obito sighed “I would really hate for something to happen to the shelter with all those kids inside”

“Are you…threatening me?” Naruto clenched his good fist “If you think I’m going to let you push me around think again. The shelter isn’t going anywhere!”

“Threatening? No, not at all! It’s just in a bad part of town that’s all and with everything going on around the area lately it would be a pity to see that kind of violence affect the shelter as well” Naruto pursed his lips. The blonde was well aware of the rise in crime the past few months. Buildings were being vandalised, some even to the point of arson. Children were being harassed on the way to school, bags were being stolen. Some kids at the shelter had even been jumped a block down from the facility.

“Obito?” Naruto spun around and he relaxed when he saw Sasuke standing at the entrance of the café. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Can’t I say hi to a relative’s partner? It’s been so long Sasuke that I thought it would be a missed opportunity to introduce myself” Sasuke stormed over to them and placed a hand on the blondes shoulder.

“What did he say to you Naruto?” Obito stood up and gave Naruto a small bow.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Naruto, do consider what I said” The suspicious man walked off, giving Sasuke a small smirk as he walked past him and Naruto slumped forward slightly. The air had felt oppressive during their brief interaction and he hadn’t realised how tense he was.

“Naruto did he say anything to you?” Sasuke sat in the now empty seat. “Did he hurt you?”

“No teme he just…” Naruto bit his lip “I think he threatened me”

“What! That bastard! I’ll kill him!” Sasuke jumped up to chase after the man but Naruto clasped his hand around the ravens.

“Leave it Sasuke. I’ll tell you everything later but right now can you please get me out of this god forsake hospital!” Sasuke looked down at him and a small half smile flicked across his lips “Please tell me you have a plan to get around those vultures out there”

“Nope. I figured we would just go straight through them” Naruto paled at his response “I know it’s not ideal but Nagato is doing some pretty decent damage control, right now the public are believing his cheating claims…You don’t have to do it Naruto but I’m just…I’m hoping if they _see_ what he did…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it teme. You better protect me though because my arm is killing me” Sasuke nodded and Naruto stood up, grabbing his brown hospital bag that had his belongings in. “Well, let’s get going”

“We can wait a bit” Naruto shook his head.

“Nah. I’ve been here long enough” Sasuke stood up and grabbed Naruto’s good hand, leading him towards the front door. They heard someone yell out and cameras began to flash. Naruto fought back his anxiety and Sasuke pulled him closer. To the side of the Kakashi appeared, his arm held out to keep people back. Reporters began yelling at him, microphones were shoved in his face from every direction. Sasuke stopped a few times to reply to questions but Naruto stayed quiet, keeping his head down and determined to get through the thinning sea of people. Kakashi stayed by his side the whole time, ensuring no one touched or grabbed him and when they finally made it to the car waiting for them Naruto slouched down in the seat, a small pout on his lips. “You owe me Ichiraku’s for that teme”

“Already sorted dobe” Sasuke replied, handing him a plastic bowl and chopsticks. “Figured you would be hungry”

“Man, how did I get so lucky” Naruto laughed, wincing when it pulled on his intercostal muscles. “Fuck, it’s hard not to laugh!”

“I seem to do it just fine” The blonde gave his boyfriend an annoyed look before replying in a sarcastic tone.

“That’s because you’re emotionally stunted. If it wasn’t for me your vocabulary would be limited to ‘hn’ or insults” Naruto dug into his meal and let out a low moan. It had been awhile since he had his favourite ramen.

“Don’t choke dobe” Naruto eyed his boyfriend again before completely focusing on the meal in front of him.

“Where are we going by the way?” Naruto figured going back to his apartment would be a nightmare. Sakura had informed him that their apartment’s address had been leaked; probably Nagato’s doing, alongside with their contact information. Naruto and Sakura had been forced to change all of their numbers and the pinkette had been staying at Ino’s until the reporters got bored of the story.

“Mine. There are reporters hanging around but since access to the garage is private they are forced to wait outside the foyer doors, we can completely by pass them altogether” Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief. The mess outside the hospital was enough reporters to last him a life time! “Are you okay with that?”

“Having you wait hand and foot for me sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me” Naruto laughed “Maybe I can even get you in a maid’s outfit”

“If anyone is wearing a maid’s outfit it’ll be you dobe” Sasuke glared, not impressed with his quip.

“Naw, you ruin all my fun teme” Naruto pouted again and finished his ramen. Sasuke took the empty container from him and put it in a plastic bag. “Sasuke, who is Obito?”

“No one you need to worry about right now dobe” If that was so why did Sasuke look so upset when he mentioned him.

“Sasuke…” He took a deep breath “I know I brought it up but do you think for tonight we can just pretend?”

“Pretend how dobe?” Naruto blushed.

“Pretend that everything is normal, that I’m not hiding out at your place because of some crazed reporters? Can we just snuggle up in the movie room, binge watching ninja movies and pig out on popcorn?” Sasuke undid his seat belt and shuffled into the middle. He grabbed Naruto’s head and pulled it into his chest. Naruto didn’t know how but Sasuke always seemed to sense when he was about to break down and comforted him without a word. The man was just so in tuned to him that Naruto knew he could trust Sasuke to understand everything he was feeling.

“Whatever you want dobe. I can have Kakashi run around after us” The divider between the front of the car and back rolled down and the silver haired man looked back at them.

“I’m not a damn servant Uchiha” Naruto laughed and clutched his ribs when pain shot through him again.

“No you’re not Kakashi, you’re just his mother!” Kakashi let out a loud laugh and Sasuke growled in his throat “Come on! That was funny teme!”

“You’ll pay for that dobe” Sasuke mumbled. Naruto poked his tongue out before shifting to get comfortable in Sasuke’s embrace. The blonde closed his eyes, humming to himself happily as he listened to Sasuke’s heartbeat.

 


	18. Back to work

Naruto was bored. Completely and utterly bored. Sasuke had insisted he stayed inside and away from the prying eyes of paparazzi. While Naruto enjoyed having Sasuke doting on him the blonde was never one to stay indoors for long periods of time. All Naruto wanted to do was go back to work. He knew his co-workers were handling his case load but he missed being productive, hell Naruto even missed the stacks of paperwork that came with his job. At this point he was more than happy to use his cast covered arm as a battling ram through the persistent leeches hanging around for him to leave the Uchiha sanctuary. Naruto chuckled at the idea of the Uchiha brothers using their upper floor apartment’s as some kind of superhero base.

The two brother’s seemed to be making some leeway into finding Madara. Nagato was taking a dive in the polls and Iruka had come to re-take his statement with another officer Naruto didn’t quite like. Sasuke had despised the man all together and it had taken all of his boyfriends will power not to kick him out on his arrogant ass. Naruto swayed his leg’s back and forth that were dangling over the couch that looked over into the kitchen. He observed Sasuke leaning on the counter, his phone glued to his ear and shuffling through paper work. Naruto had tried to get Sasuke to go into work but he had insisted that he could do it from home. It was a nice thought but he may as well not be around at all considering his phone never shut off. Naruto didn’t mind though because Sasuke made sure to switch it off whenever Naruto suggested they spent some time together.

Naruto pushed himself up and cringed when his ribs pulled uncomfortably. He was done. Completely and utterly done. Naruto knew Sasuke meant well but he needed to get his life back together, he needed normality. Sasuke didn’t look up when he left the room and went into their shared bedroom. Naruto grabbed his jacket, phone and keys before checking himself over in the mirror. He assumed he looked acceptable for work, minus the cast and stitched lip. When he went back into the small living area Sasuke had hung up the phone and was highlighting a page. Naruto cleared his throat. “I’m off to work for a bit”

“Hn” Sasuke automatically replied, not looking up. Naruto sighed, counting to ten in his head before a head of raven hair snapped up. “Wait. You’re going into work? I thought we talked about this?”

“No. _You_ decided I should take some more time off” Naruto pointed out. “I’m bored Sasuke. I need to do something!”

“What about the rodent’s down there?” Sasuke walked around the counter and reached out for Naruto who took a step back. “Naruto, I just don’t want you to push yourself to soon”

“Sasuke. I know you’re trying to look out for me but I can’t put my life on hold any longer. I have a responsibility” Naruto ran a hand through his hair “Please don’t argue with me on this Teme, it’ll only be for a few hours”

“Are you sure Dobe?” Sasuke frowned. Naruto knew he didn’t approve but he also knew Sasuke would let him make his own choice on the matter. Naruto had agreed to staying hidden away out of embarrassment and fear but he now knew he needed some sort of normal routine. “Alright, I’ll drive you. I need to go into the office anyway. I don’t know how but Karen’s managed to fuck up my presentation slides and refuses to send me them to fix”

“I think she’s just trying to get you alone” Naruto grumbled. Sasuke smirked, he knew Naruto didn’t like the red head. Karen had invited herself over one night and attached herself to Sasuke in a way Naruto did not like in the slightest. Oh Naruto knew Sasuke would never cheat on him but he didn’t like how the woman blatantly threw herself at his boyfriend right in front of him.

“Naw. Is somebody jealous?” Sasuke chuckled and lifted his hand, placing it on the side of Naruto’s cheek. “You know you have nothing to worry about. The only person I’m interested in is you Dobe”

“I know…” He blushed and Sasuke rubbed his thumb over his whiskered marks. “How long will you be?”

“Not sure. It depends on how badly she’s fucked with it. I’ll come get you as soon as you want me to though. Just call half an hour before so I can pack up what I need” Naruto nodded and Sasuke leant forward giving him a small peck on the lips. He sighed, frustrated that Sasuke was still treating him as if he was fragile.

The assault had left its mark on Naruto. He had become jumpy and anxious when someone came into a room without him knowing. Rationally Naruto knew no one was going to hurt him but the mental wound was just still to raw and it caused the logical side of his brain to be overwhelmed by the irrational fear. It didn’t help that he had a broken arm and healing ribs to remind him every time he moved in a certain way. It was an agonising struggle for the both of them. On the inside Naruto wanted nothing more for their relationship to turn back into the passionate, fun loving atmosphere from before but they were both scared of pushing it too far too quickly and potentially trigger a flash back. It took a lot for that to happen but it resulted in Naruto withdrawing into himself and Sasuke was left to help him gain his footing again. It was always two steps forward one step back. A slow journey but one Naruto knew would eventually pass and he would heal.

Sasuke grabbed his hand and gently tugged him along to the entrance way. The two quietly hopped in the elevator and into the garage of the complex where Sasuke pushed the button on his keys. Naruto jumped when the car beeped and his took a breath to calm his heart. “Are you sure you want to do this? One more day at home isn’t the end of the world”

“I’m sure. I need some normality back. I can’t stay holed up in your apartment eating takeaway ramen and watching ninja movies for the rest of my life” Naruto smiled brightly when he saw Sasuke shudder at the thought.

“You’re right, the sooner the better” Sasuke held the door open for Naruto and he manoeuvred into the seat carefully and waited for Sasuke to join him. “Last chance to back out, Dobe”

“Teme” Naruto replied. They pulled out and Naruto cringed when the metal door opened. Camera’s flashed and a mob of reporters stood in front of the car holding out microphones and cameras. Sasuke’s face darkened and he beeped his horn. They didn’t move. “Will they ever get bored?”

“I was hoping something more interesting would have come along by now” Sasuke beeped again and security guards from inside the complex came out, shuffling the crowd aside to let them pass. Naruto waved a gesture of thanks at the two men and finally they were on the road.

…………………………………….

People stared when Naruto walked through the building. He knew why, he was the hot topic at the moment and he had told his boss he wouldn’t be in for a few more weeks. Naruto wasn’t ready to take on his client’s yet but he did want to catch up on their case files to see how they were going and monitor their progress. He was hoping next week he could take on one or two of the clients he had worked long term with, knowing they wouldn’t be put off by his appearance. It wasn’t until the whispers started that Naruto felt his chest tighten with anxiety. He started to doubt his decision.

“Naruto!” He heard someone yell enthusiastically and a hand slapped him on the back. Naruto let out a yelp before spinning around, glaring at Kiba who gave him an apologetic look “Sorry man, I totally forgot about the ribs”

“It’s okay” Naruto rubbed his chest to try sooth the ache the slap had left “How’s the place running?”

“Terribly man! Without you this place is a shit hole. Nobody smiles, everybody just stays in their offices unless they have to come out and the boss is threatening to fire anyone who speaks to the press about you” Naruto couldn’t help but feel guilty at putting so much stress on his co-workers.

“Sorry” He looked at the carpet and drug his heel over the rough material “I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble”

“What are you sorry about? This shit isn’t your fault” Kiba went to nudge him but stopped himself “Gonna be hard not to rough house with you”

“Few more weeks and I’ll be kicking your ass again dog breath” Naruto teased. Kiba let out a booming laugh and Naruto followed, not caring that it would hurt his ribs. It was good to be treated like one of the guys again. “Come on, we’ll go to your office and we can catch up properly”

Naruto led the way and when he walked into his office he wanted to walk back out. He had lied to himself. There was no way in hell he could have that amount of paper work to do! Kiba poked his head in after him and let out a low whistle. “What the fuck”

“Don’t sweat it. Boss has been using your office to house the auditor in. None of this is yours” His shoulders relaxed and Naruto took a seat on the couch that sat opposite his desk, preferring to sit somewhere less restricting. “So tell me. What’s it like living up in that fancy tower”

“A nightmare!” Naruto exclaimed “I’m bored Kiba! So utterly bored! Sasuke has no video games and I’ve watched all the decent ninja movies he has! Sasuke is working from home but he fusses over me so I can’t even make my own food, Itachi has Deidra babysitting me when they have to go out and I can’t even look at my phone without having some dumb reporter trying to trick me into an interview!”

“Wow, rough life princess” Kiba chuckled “You’re getting pampered and you chose to come back into work”

“You know what I’m like. I’m not comfortable sitting around doing nothing” Naruto folded his arms over his chest and pouted “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I missed my job”

“Man, I owe Choji a twenty now” Kiba pulled out his phone and sent off a text “We had a bet running when you would cave. I had a month, Choji had two weeks”

“You guy’s bet on me?” Naruto raised his eyebrow.

“No…Sakura and Ino we’re in on it to…” Naruto tried to feign annoyance but he just couldn’t. His friends were still being exactly the same. “Gaara kicked my ass when he found out I started it”

“You asked Gaara? Do you have a death wish?” Naruto gapped.

“Well…yeah. Afterwards he said you’d only last a few days and put some money in the pool” Kiba shrugged. “You should get a hold of him, he said he had some news”

“Why didn’t he just tell me himself?” Naruto questioned.

“He said he didn’t want to upset you…” Kiba ignored Naruto’s gaze and bit his lip. “You should go see him and take Sasuke with you”

“Fuck, what now” Naruto groaned. He finally gets some normality back and then something else happens. The gods must hate him.

“I needa get back to my work, have a kid coming in soon. The auditors out for the rest of the day so your desk is free” Kiba left without another word and Naruto decided not to dwell on things and threw himself into his case load.

He checked over a few cases that he knew inside and out, happy that they hadn’t gone backwards. One he had to call the nurse on the case as Naruto was concerned that they hadn’t found a replacement caregiver but he got that sorted quickly. Then he looked over his newer cases. They seemed to be progressing well but one case bothered him. It had been a month and no one could make any headway with the young boy he had seen. Naruto knew it was a hard case but he struggled with the idea that nothing had really been done. Whoever had taken over the case had written it off as a lost cause. It wasn’t unusual. You could only help those who were willing to give you something back and it may take a while for a person to feel comfortable to do that. Naruto ear marked the case and decided he would pay the boy a home visit next week to check in.

Naruto stretched and let out a yawn, realising he had been at it for a few hours and he pulled out his phone, sending a text to Sasuke to let him know he was ready to be picked up. It turned out Sasuke was already there, he had gotten worried that he hadn’t heard from Naruto and had decided to come check on him. It was sweet and Naruto appreciated he didn’t have to wait around. Sasuke asked about his day and Naruto happily chatted away. He felt ten times better knowing he had gotten outside and done something. His clients were progressing and now he could plan for next week. “Sasuke, do you mind if we pop in to see Gaara?”

“I was going to suggest that myself” Sasuke’s brow creased and his hand’s gripped on the steering wheel. “Naruto…something’s happened”

“What? What’s happened?” Naruto’s voice started to rise and Sasuke rested his hand over his to calm him down.

“I’ll let Gaara explain” The rest of the car ride was quiet and Naruto spent the time looking out the window. Gaara was waiting for them, his front door open and the two men followed him inside where he already had dinner ready for them. Naruto took the time to observe his friend. Gaara’s usually neat clothing was dishevelled, his hair stuck out at odd angles and the bags under his eyes looked like someone had punched him.

“Sit down, I don’t exactly have the best news” Gaara sighed. Naruto gave Sasuke a worried look and Sasuke gave him a reassuring one back. “Konoha police have dropped the case”

“What! Why!” Naruto jumped up, his eyes wild “Isn’t this enough evidence for them!” Naruto yanked his arm up and ignored the pain at the sharp movement.

“It’s outside of their jurisdiction since it happened in another city. I’ve requested for them to transfer it but the chief of police has stepped in and shut it down. Orochimaru is trying to get it thrown out altogether but with the public interest its putting the Amegakure police in a tough spot. They are trying to reject it saying that there has been police misconduct due to Iruka’s involvement. Orochimaru’s doing I presume but the media circus around it is making it hard for them to do it. Really it could go either way…” Gaara stopped to gauge their reaction before starting again “I want to discuss a settlement outside of court”

“You want Naruto to settle! That bastard should be locked away for what he did!” Sasuke slammed his hands down on the table “Your Naruto’s friend! You’re supposed to be sticking up for him!”

“Don’t get my professional and personal feelings confused Sasuke” Gaara snapped back “I’m putting Naruto’s best interests first here”

“Let’s…let’s just hear him out” Naruto whispered. He was completely disheartened.

“Look Naruto. I’m going to be honest. Not a lot of court’s want to take on a case like this mainly due to the sexual orientation of the two people involved. The justice system is scared of it frankly. Either side is persecuted and with Iruka’s involvement the police department can be thrown under the bus. The government has been putting pressure on the media to shut it down and quickly. Even then your chances of winning are slim, injuries or not. This isn’t a male against female aggravation. It’s male verse male and in this case…Nagato has the power factor. I just…I don’t see this swaying in your favour anymore. The justice system is made to protect the powerful and fuck over the weak. If we do a deal, we can do this on your terms” The room was thick as Naruto let Gaara’s words sink in. The red head was right of course but it didn’t help that it went against everything he stood for. If he backed down what would that being saying to his clients or victims of abuse?

“What kind of deal would you put forward” Sasuke questioned. Gaara looked to Naruto who just nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“Anything really. A no contact order, a request to push the divorce through plus sale of the house so Naruto could get his investment back from the property. A public apology from Nagato, we could even request he does some community work and anger management courses” Naruto wanted to be selfish. He wanted to take the deal. All of that sounded amazing. He could put this all behind him and move on with his life without having to worry about Nagato or the press anymore.

“I…I can’t” As much as Naruto wanted to be selfish he knew he couldn’t. Naruto needed to make a stand, not just for his self but for others going through the same thing. He needed to put his faith in the justice system even if it was broken and swayed more towards one side. Naruto needed to fight for himself as well as for those to afraid. “I need…I need to use this to do something positive Gaara. Even if my name is dragged through the mud at least I can stand up and say no, this isn’t okay. It’s my job to help those in situations like this and if me, the person who is supposed to help them, encourage them to speak out doesn’t do it then I’ll just be a hypocrite. I need…I need to do this…not just for me but for everyone else. Even if I lose at least I can sleep at night knowing I tried to make a difference”

“I agree with Naruto” Sasuke stated, backing up his decision and making Naruto feel more confident in his choice “A plea deal is letting Nagato get away with this. If we do that nothing is going to change, he’s going to think he can keep gunning for Naruto because he’s above reproach. Naruto needs to do this. Win or lose”

“Thank god” Gaara whispered and placed his head in his hands “I don’t think I could have let you go through with it even if you did agree”

“But…you suggested it” Naruto mumbled confused.

“It’s in my professional duty as your lawyer to tell you all the facts and options. As your friend I want to see the prick strung up and quartered. I don’t care what the odds are but if you’re willing to fight tooth and nail for this case then I’m all in” Gaara slid over a piece of paper and Naruto picked it up “Don’t worry about it now but that’s just a form saying that I’ve offered you a deal and you’ve rejected it and want to continue with your complaint. Look it over and sleep on your decision. Make sure it’s what you want and then I can begin to put pressure on the Amegakure department and get the ball rolling”

“Naruto…you don’t have to do this. Even if I want you to I will support whatever you decide” Sasuke looked at him and grabbed his hand “I’m with you on this no matter what”

“Thanks teme” Naruto smiled brightly “As long as I have you by my side I know I can keep fighting” Naruto pulled out a pen from his pocket and signed the paper, handing I back to Gaara who frowned.

“Seriously Naruto. You need to learn how to read over paperwork before you put pen to paper” Gaara grumbled but took it anyway and put it in his satchel.

“I’m proud of you dobe” Sasuke leaned over and whispered in his ear before pressing a kiss against to corner of his lips. Naruto smiled and looked down at his hands. On the outside he may seem calm but he was petrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took me forever! I've had the biggest writing block and have been enjoying my holiday and the sunshine! I'm back at uni now but i will do my best to update as soon as i can :)


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